The other Paul Ryan plan: $800B in Medicaid cuts
Source: Associated Press
Congressman Paul Ryan's plan for Medicare gets all the attention, but the GOP vice presidential candidate has proposed even bigger changes to medical care for the poor and disabled.
The Wisconsin congressman is calling for states to take over the Medicaid program.
At the same time, Ryan's budget would reduce projected federal spending on Medicaid by about $800 billion over 10 years, shrinking the program as a share of the overall national economy.
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Advocates for the poor and nonpartisan analysts say cuts would result in millions of vulnerable people losing health insurance. Republicans say that won't happen if states can make the program more efficient.
Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/other-paul-ryan-plan-800b-medicaid-cuts-071209801--finance.html?_esi=1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20120815/us-ryan-medicaid/
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Under the Wisconsin congressman's Medicaid plan, states would take over the program. Simultaneously, Ryan's proposed budget would reduce projected federal spending by about $800 billion over 10 years, shrinking Medicaid as a share of the overall national economy. The plan has passed the Republican-led House two years in a row.
Ryan would also repeal President Barack Obama's health care law, expected to add at least 11 million more people to Medicaid.
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Ryan's plan goes beyond tweaking. It would essentially rip up the Medicaid manual and start all over again. States would get a lump sum from Washington, a "block grant" indexed to reflect population growth and inflation. The idea has governors split along party lines.
Ryan's Medicare plan, shifting future retirees to private insurance, would phase in over a decade or more. But the Medicaid changes would come much more rapidly. The proposal has not been fleshed out in detail, leaving many unanswered questions. For example:
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