In their efforts to balance the federal budget, House Republican leaders are making plans to defund the healthcare reform law and cut Medicare and Medicaid, according to reports from several publications.
On the reform front, health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce is planning a bill that would allow defunding of the healthcare reform law by changing the status of reform funds from mandatory to discretionary, according to a report by The Hill.
The subcommittee will hold hearings next week on the proposed redesignation to discretionary funding, which would allow Congress to vote on reform funding. The subcommittee also plans to discuss legislation to override the healthcare reform law and allow states to cut Medicaid enrollment.
GOP leaders considering Medicare cuts
Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will consider cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs, according to an interview by the Wall Street Journal.
Speaker Boehner said he is planning a budget for the next fiscal year that sets goals for bringing the programs' costs under control. While polls show most Americans oppose cuts in Medicare, Speaker Boehner said, "I think it's incumbent on us, if we are serious about dealing with the big challenges, that we go out and help Americans understand how big the problem is that faces us," he said.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said he would include his proposal to issue vouchers to Medicare beneficiaries with other aggressive reforms of Medicare, according to Kaiser Health News. Rep. Ryan has called for vouchers to cover $11,000 of the cost of a private health plan, the average amount of money that Medicare now spends on a beneficiary.
Read more coverage of Republicans plans to cut healthcare spending:
- Unwinding Reform Will Take More Than Repeal, Surgeon Says
- Republicans Plan to Withhold Healthcare Reform Funding
- House Passes Repeal of Reform Law, Hearings Are Next Step
On the reform front, health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce is planning a bill that would allow defunding of the healthcare reform law by changing the status of reform funds from mandatory to discretionary, according to a report by The Hill.
The subcommittee will hold hearings next week on the proposed redesignation to discretionary funding, which would allow Congress to vote on reform funding. The subcommittee also plans to discuss legislation to override the healthcare reform law and allow states to cut Medicaid enrollment.
GOP leaders considering Medicare cuts
Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will consider cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs, according to an interview by the Wall Street Journal.
Speaker Boehner said he is planning a budget for the next fiscal year that sets goals for bringing the programs' costs under control. While polls show most Americans oppose cuts in Medicare, Speaker Boehner said, "I think it's incumbent on us, if we are serious about dealing with the big challenges, that we go out and help Americans understand how big the problem is that faces us," he said.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said he would include his proposal to issue vouchers to Medicare beneficiaries with other aggressive reforms of Medicare, according to Kaiser Health News. Rep. Ryan has called for vouchers to cover $11,000 of the cost of a private health plan, the average amount of money that Medicare now spends on a beneficiary.
Read more coverage of Republicans plans to cut healthcare spending:
- Unwinding Reform Will Take More Than Repeal, Surgeon Says
- Republicans Plan to Withhold Healthcare Reform Funding
- House Passes Repeal of Reform Law, Hearings Are Next Step