Ryan Plan Creates Huge Rise in Medical Costs for Seniors

REPRESENTATIVE PAUL RYAN’s budget plan has been praised as a serious approach to the budget that provides a “path to prosperity.” But analysis by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) finds that the Medicare portion of the Wisconsin Republican’s plan merely shifts costs to retirees, eventually making healthcare unaffordable for most.

If Ryan’s plan is adopted, by 2030 nearly 50 percent of retirees age 65 on Medicare would be paying half of their retirement income to pay for medical care, the CEPR estimates.

Ryan’s plan is a path to prosperity for health care providers and insurers, but for most retired Americans, it is a path to unaffordable health care.

The study compares costs under the current system and under the proposed Ryan plan, using data from the Congressional Budget Office. A seven-page summary of the findings is available on the CEPR web site.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that was established to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives.