Republican lawmakers are far from unified on a controversial House of Representatives bill masterminded by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that would essentially replace the current Medicare program with a system of subsidies to seniors for buying private insurance in 2022. The latest sign of dissension comes in the form of a Republican budget proposal in the Senate, from Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), that would leave Medicare unscathed.
Toomey's plan does repeal the Obama administration's signature health reform law (the Affordable Care Act), but keeps the law's Medicare cuts while retaining House Republicans' proposal to turn Medicaid into a block-grant program.
SGR fix included: The Toomey budget does you a big favor by repealing the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and freezing physician payments.
Meanwhile, Ryan's proposal came under fire from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), which launched an ad calling his plan "harmful" to Medicare and beneficiaries. A spokesman for Ryan proceeded to denounce the AARP as a "left-leaning pressure group with significant business interests in the insurance industry" that is attempting to "intentionally mislead seniors about the Medicare debate."
Anyone care to place bets on who comes out on top -- Paul Ryan and House Republicans, or one of the nation's most venerable lobbies for a key Republican voting bloc?