House Republicans’ newfound ability to repeal Obamcare has gotten most of the attention in the new Trump era, but now their ideas for Medicare reform might be on the table too.
House Speaker Paul Ryan has long championed a Medicare plan he put forth several years ago as chairman of the Budget Committee. The Ryan plan would transform Medicare from a fee-for-service system to what’s known as “premium support,” where the federal government would pay private insurance plans to cover seniors.
Most Democrats oppose the plan, since it’s perceived as cutting benefits to seniors, but Republicans might be able to win over some Democrats in the Senate if they decided to go ahead with it.
In an interview Thursday with Fox News’ Brett Baier, Ryan suggested he wants to make Medicare reform a priority along with repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
“Your solution has always been to put things together, including entitlement reform,” Baier said to Ryan.
“If you’re going to repeal and replace Obamacare, you have to address those issues as well,” Ryan responded. “Medicare has got some serious issues because of Obamacare. So those things are part of our plan to replace Obamacare.”
During the campaign, President-elect Trump opposed major changes to entitlements, though he did support direct negotiations with drug makers through Medicare — a policy long favored by liberal Democrats and opposed by Republicans including Ryan.
‘We will not cut Medicare or Social Security benefits, but protect them both,” a Trump advisor said in an October interview.
