Mattress Answer Man Speaks |

AP: The Republican Budget Would “End Medicare As It Is Presently Known.” “For their part, House Republicans are offering an alternative that eventually would end Medicare as it is presently known.” [AP, 4/1/09]The GOP Budget Would Gut Medicare And Replace The Benefit With A Reduced Health Care Subsidy. According to the AP, “On Medicare, workers under the age of 55 would enroll in private plans and receive premium subsidies equal to the average Medicare benefit when they retire. Benefits would not be changed for people in the program or people 55 or older.” According to Rep. Paul Ryan, “We preserve the existing Medicare program for all those 55 or older; and then, to make the program sustainable and dependable, those 54 and younger will enter a Medicare program reformed to work like the health plan members of Congress and federal employees now enjoy. Starting in 2021, seniors would receive a premium support payment equal to 100% of the Medicare benefit on average. This would be income related, so low-income seniors receive extra support, and high-income seniors receive support relative to their incomes — along the same lines as the president’s Medicare Part D proposal.” [AP, 4/1/09; Rep. Paul Ryan op-ed, WSJ, 4/1/09]