Here is one last update concerning press coverage of the Medicare and Medicaid issues that are already squarely on the table.
First, many commenters have stated that they believe that there will be an out for existing beneficiaries and people 55 and older who do not yet have Medicare. As stated as stated in the previous update to this diary, that is completely untrue and Ryan has clearly said so himself. The result, however, is that tens of millions of people older than 55, but do not yet have Medicare, have a problem, but don't know it. We need to do what we can to make sure this is clearly understood by the public.
Second, many commenters have speculated that Brian will find a way to blame the need for the Medicare phaseout on the Democrats. This is already happened. In an interview by Chet Baier on Fox, Ryan clearly states that what many people don't realize is that "because of Obama care, Medicare is going broke.”
This is, even by Paul Bryan's standards, a dangerous lie, and precisely the sort that of statement that, in a world of fake news, can get traction and through repetition become common wisdom.
Here is what Rachel Maddow had to say about this:
This is critically important, in part because Ryan is brazenly lying. The budgetary reality, whether Republicans like it or not, is that the Affordable Care Act improvedMedicare’s financial stability, extending the system’s solvency by more than a decade. There’s an inside-the-Beltway assumption that when it comes to fiscal arithmetic, Ryan can be trusted to get the numbers right. The evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.
But in this case, it’s also worth appreciating why Ryan is so shamelessly trying to deceive the public.
Throughout the Obama era, Ryan has pushed a radical budget plan that would effectively eliminate the Medicare system, phasing it out of existence and replacing it with a voucher system. Seniors, under the Speaker’s vision, would stop receiving guaranteed care under a popular and effective government-run program, and would instead receive vouchers that would help pay for coverage through private insurers.
Ryan has been an enthusiastic proponent of such a scheme throughout his career – long before “Obamacare” became the law of the land. Now, however, the Wisconsin congressman seems to think he can use the ACA as an excuse to do what he’s wanted to do anyway for nearly a decade. In other words, Ryan’s message for years has been, “I want to privatize Medicare.” Now, his message has become, “It’s Obamacare’s fault that we have to privatize Medicare.”
But we don’t. The Speaker is plainly and demonstrably wrong. Repealing the Affordable Care Act wouldn’t help Medicare’s finances; it would do the exact opposite, pushing the Medicare system closer to insolvency.
So, when you are out there commenting and speaking with others, please include Ryan's lie and the demonstrable truth.
If anybody in Washington still wants to argue that Brian is a policy wonk in some sort of special Republican, this should put that to rest. The man has absolutely no sense of humility.