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Democrats launch early offensive over GOP Medicare plans
Democrats are itching for another fight over Medicare, apparently undeterred by the prospect of a slightly watered-down Republican plan
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said again this weekend that he won’t back down from proposals to at least partially privatize the Medicare program. Democrats seized on the comments, eager for another round in a battle that could bolster their chances of recapturing a majority.
Ryan has said he hasn’t started writing his budget yet, but it’s widely expected to include the Medicare proposal he crafted with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The Ryan-Wyden plan, unlike Ryan’s earlier proposal, would leave the traditional Medicare program intact while also giving seniors the option to buy private insurance.
Democrats took a hard line against Ryan-Wyden when it was first released, insisting that it would still spell the end of the existing Medicare guarantee. And they’ve launched an aggressive advance attack on Ryan’s commitment to plow ahead on a "premium support" model for Medicare.
Party leaders also emphasized the issue at the Democratic retreat last week.
Ryan said on Fox News this weekend that “we’re not backing off any of our ideas, any of our solutions,” and said specifically in other interviews that this year’s budget will again include Medicare proposals similar to those he championed last year.
“I would simply say, there's an emerging bipartisan consensus that we're on the right track,” Ryan said on Fox. “And the point is, we should be offering solutions to our problems in our country. We shouldn't just be demagoguing other people and offering no solution. And, unfortunately, that's what the president and his party leaders are doing.”
