The Ryan Plan for Medicare has gotten a lot of publicity lately. There is even an ad showing a Paul Ryan lookalike pushing granny off the cliff. But it is really hard to find out exactly what the plan is if your only source of information is major media outlets.
Today's Daily Caller posted an article contrasting some of the myths about what Paul Ryan's budget proposal means to Medicare with the actual facts. The artice takes the statements of Democratic National Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla, made on "Face the Nation" on Sunday and contrasts them with the truth.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz accuses the Ryan plan of abandoning all people under the age of 55. She states that the plan 'throws them to the wolves' and puts them at the mercy of insurance companies that will deny them coverage and drop them for pre-existing conditions. The facts tell a different story.
The Ryan Plan explicitly forbids insurance companies from denying coverage to anyone eligible for Medicare. The Ryan Plan provides subsidies beginning in 2022 to help seniors pay for their insurance. It also has provisions to insure that insurance companies insure all Medicare recipients--not just the healthiest. No government plan is perfect, but Paul Ryan has attempted to reform Medicare to insure its success in the future and to bring it closer to the concept of competition in health insurance plans in order to reduce costs for everyone. I am sure that there will be changes needed along the way if the Ryan Plan is adopted, but I suspect they would be minor, and I suspect that his plan will keep Medicare solvent long into the future.
None of the current claims made by Democrat leadership are valid. Those claims are even less valid when you consider that Obamacare drastically cuts Medicare.
On May 20, I reported at RightWingGranny that:
On September 9, 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported:
"Altogether, ObamaCare cuts $818 billion from Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) from 2014-2023, the first 10 years of its full implementation, and $3.2 trillion over the first 20 years, 2014-2033. Adding in ObamaCare cuts for Medicare Part B (physicians fees and other services) brings the total cut to $1.05 trillion over the first 10 years and $4.95 trillion over the first 20 years."
As the budget debate continues, I would strongly advise that you look past the MediScare tactics being used by the Democrats, and look up the facts for yourself. We are being seriously mislead by people attempting to gain political advantage. It is up to the voters to find the truth and vote accordingly.
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