an editorial by the Racine Journal Times
Two words that seem to be on the banned list in Congress and statehouses across the country in these highly politicized times resurfaced this week and they were welcome ones indeed: compromise and bipartisan.
Unlikely as it may seem, they came up in relation to one of the most divisive issues facing the country and its government — Medicare.
Republican House budget chairman and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan ventured across the political aisle to team up with Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to propose a new Medicare compromise to extend the life of the program without bankrupting the nation on the shores of rising entitlements and unchecked health care costs.
The plan borrows heavily on Ryan’s plan of last spring that was passed by House Republicans but failed to garner even one Democrat in support. In the main, it would change Medicare from a fee-for-service government insurance program into a premium subsidy for seniors that would allow them to select from private coverage plans.
The new plan also borrows from Wyden-backed proposals of the past and would attempt to spare seniors the risk that the premium subsidies would erode their buying power over time.
“We are rejecting that,” Wyden said, “If that happens, Congress has to do its job and look at all other options: lower reimbursement (to providers), higher premiums for the wealthy.”
The Ryan-Wyden proposal would not affect seniors ages 55 and older, who would continue under the old Medicare plan. It would also give seniors the option of selecting the traditional Medicare program or to choose a private plan that would compete with Medicare to cover seniors. It would reduce assistance to wealthier seniors who need help the least.
It also includes another Wyden proposal that would allow small businesses with up to 100 workers the ability to offer its employees a free choice option that would allow them to add to their employer’s contribution to their health coverage and use it tax-free to seek insurance elsewhere.
It’s a mix-and-match proposal that is worthy of discussion. Moreover, it is a compromise — and that alone makes it noteworthy in these fractured times. It may not be the final answer, but it shows that at least one Democrat and one Republican can give a little and work toward passage of something that will be in the common good.
As Wyden put it, “I believe there’s a window here for trying to bring progressive folks and conservative folks together.”
From where we sit, that strikes us as real leadership — bipartisan leadership and compromise — both of which are sorely needed to resolve the growing problems of our national debt, entitlement programs and rising health care costs.
http://www.journaltimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/bipartisan-medicare-plan-worth-a-look/article_cf03fef6-29bc-11e1-b639-001871e3ce6c.html
