Who proposed cutting Medicare?
Perhaps the most visible plan to cut Medicare is the one endorsed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, which would eliminate the guaranteed level of coverage that Medicare currently provides — e.g., covering hospital care and 80 percent of the total cost of doctor visits — and replace it with “vouchers” with which seniors would be directed ...
Why is Medicare being targeted?
Medicare is being targeted by key congressional leaders for a sweeping set of changes that would dramatically increase healthcare costs for seniors and ultimately leave them paying more for their healthcare while getting less.
Is Medicare going broke?
To justify what they position as the “we-have-no-choice” necessity of their plans, congressional leaders have characterized Medicare, in operation for more than 50 years, as “ going broke .” That’s simply not true. In fact, both the Medicare Trustees Report and The Congressional Budget Office report that Medicare’s fiscal strength has improved — not declined — in recent years and that the Medicare trust fund is fully funded through 2029 and 79-percent funded through 2040, a highly manageable shortfall that can be closed in coming years without experimenting with, or reducing, seniors’ healthcare coverage.
Is Ryan's Medicare voucher based?
While Speaker Ryan has dubbed his voucher-based approach “ premium support,” no one should be misled by the benign-sounding term. This is a clear downgrade of the Medicare benefits people have earned throughout their working lives, and the use of buzzwords like “modernization” and “choice” cannot hide the fact that seniors will be asked to bear more risk at greater personal cost.
What is Ryan-Rivlin plan?
The Ryan-Rivlin plan is a form of “premium support”: If it became law, the government would, starting a decade from now, provide each senior with a sum of money, payable toward the purchase of an insurance policy. (Seniors already on Medicare when the plan took effect could remain in the traditional program.)
Why is Ryan saying drastic changes are necessary?
Ryan says drastic changes are necessary because, if current trends continue, the financial burden of Medicare and Medicaid will exceed our willingness to bear it. He’s almost surely right about the financial burden. Allowed to grow at present rates, without reform, the cost of Medicare and Medicaid will require us to devote more and more tax dollars and, indirectly, more and more private health care dollars--well beyond the point most Americans would consider reasonable.
What would happen if the Ryan-Rivlin proposal was implemented?
Under the Ryan-Rivlin proposal, Medicare beneficiaries would no longer have access to a guaranteed set of health benefits but would instead receive a voucher to be used to purchase private health insurance . Similarly, the federal government would no longer pay a specified share of states’ Medicaid costs but would pay each state only a fixed amount, or block grant. The amount of the Medicare voucher and the Medicaid block grant would grow less rapidly than costs and hence would become increasingly inadequate over time
What was the promise that Johnson made to the American people?
Read those quotes carefully, because they spell out the covenant that Johnson made with the American people on that day: A promise that the elderly and (certain groups) of the poor would get comprehensive medical insurance, no matter what.
Is the Republican plan a voucher scheme?
Ryan insists the new Republican plan is not a voucher scheme per se, because of how the money would get from the government to the insurers. He also says private insurers are more efficient than government programs. Those are debatable propositions, but put those issues aside.
Is Medicare a defined benefit plan?
Under the Ryan-Rivlin plan, Medicare would be changed from the defined-benefit plan it has been since its inception to a defined contribution plan.
Will the Republicans change Medicare?
But, on Fox News Sunday, Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan confirmed what several media outlets reported last week: The Republicans will propose to transform Medicare from a government-run program into what most people would call a voucher system. They will also propose to convert Medicaid from an entitlement to a block grant.
Who is Mitt Romney's vice president?
Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan, GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s choice for vice president, has provoked consternation from Democrats and anxiety among some congressional Republicans with his proposals to reshape Medicare.
Did Wyden endorse Ryan's Medicare plan?
No. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., did not endorse Ryan’s Medicare plan in the last House budget resolution. It is similar to a plan that the two wrote together last year, but there is an important difference. The limit on federal spending per beneficiary was not as strict in the plan they wrote together: The two had placed the cap at GDP growth rate plus 1 percent. Also, no other Democrat supported their 2011 proposal.
Does Obama want to limit Medicare spending?
During budget deficit reduction negotiations in Washington, Obama proposed holding Medicare spending to half a percentage point higher than the growth rate of the economy. Ryan later adopted the same cap.
