Republicans have been paving the way for healthcare repeal since Obama took office. Activists are hopeful they can win the White House Senate next year and are in the process of the 2013 campaigns to overhaul the president's Affordable Care Act. Among the leading activists is House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), with a proposed plan for the government to provide a limited number of vouchers to help Americans buy health insurance.
"Giving patients and consumers control over healthcare resources would make all Americans less dependent on big business and big government for our health security," Ryan stated in a speech at Stanford University September 27. "Give us more control over the care we get; and force healthcare providers to compete for our business."
We asked Healthcare Finance News Twitter followers if they felt a voucher replacement would not only lower healthcare costs for Americans, but assist in lowering the federal deficit.
@cincyinsquotes is for the Ryan plan. "Rep Paul Ryan has a great idea to empower individuals to choose their own health insurance plan," he tweeted.
@cincyinsquotes could be right. According to Ryan, "The Path to Prosperity" would restore the patient as the "nucleus of the health economy," instead of patients playing a passive role and relying on the government.
Twitter user @wonkinakilt doesn't believe that Ryan's strategy should necessarily replace the ACA, but is a step toward a legitimate alternative. "Ryan's idea for rolling back employer-based insurance is a good one," he tweeted.
Naysayers stand their ground that Ryan's intentions would only put the money back into the hands of the health insurance companies.
"Is there any Paul in the gov't that is worth anything?" tweeted @progressbigD87. "Rand, Ron, Paul Ryan? We are a wealthy nation who elect people that don't work."
"I love how Paul Ryan preaches bipartisanship and then offers as a solution his completely partisan plan as an alternative," added @JoelGodett.
One main alternative Ryan points out is moving Medicare to a premium-support system. Seniors would enroll in health plans of their choice and receive a contribution (premium support) toward the cost of their plan. According to Ryan, Medicare would then be considered a block grant system, while tax reform would replace the "flawed" tax treatment of insurance.
Of all the items discussed in Ryan's program, Medicare has been the most talked about element on Twitter.
"Paul Ryan wants to take money paid into #Medicare and give it back to you to buy private health insurance," tweeted @gemimms. "Insurance companies never lose!"
@BudParsons agrees. "Senior voters: Are you willing to give away your future Social Sec. and Medicare? That's exactly what Paul Ryan wants you to do…'Boomers,' you're next."
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Some are turning their attention to other GOP presidential nominees, who soon need to either draw themselves to one side of the debate, or create their own agenda.
"Romney endorsed Paul Ryan's #SS and Medicare voucher plan... the media has been hush hush," tweeted @Itd1974Mba.
@KatrinaNation also attacks the media. "I'm sick of hearing 'courage' defined as Paul Ryan gutting Medicare or 'boldness' as Perry flat tax. Need media to cover true courage and boldness," she tweeted.
"The Foundary," a blog news source sponsored by The Heritage Foundation, wrote a follow-up blog post to Ryan's Stanford University speech the day after his outline was presented. In the article, "Paul Ryan (R-WI) Outlines a New Paradigm for Health Care Reform," commenters had plenty to respond to.
@Guest stated that Paul Ryan thinks putting people into the private, individual health sector is going to work for low or moderate-income workers. He goes on to say Ryan is clueless about the costs of those plans. "Even if the employer passes along the savings from shutting down the company group plan as additional compensation, the cost for your average 40-yr old for a plan similar to a typical group plan would not be affordable with their after-tax dollars," he commented.
Another commenter on the blog, Glenna Cook, concurred with @Guests statements, and added that she believes healthcare and education are a human necessity that needs to be available to all humans, regardless of their economic climate.
"In our Democracy as our form of governance, people come first," Cook wrote. "With our Free Market economy coming AFTER the necessities of life for our citizens. Enough of trying to make our capitalist economic system more important than our democratic form of governance."
Turning to our own Healthcare Finance News readers, on Oct. 5, Robert Laszewski wrote a blog titled "The Ryan Healthcare Proposals – Not Your Congressman's Health Plan," where he wrotes: "(Ryan's) proposals would not give people the guarantees members of Congress, and all other federal employees for that matter now enjoy." He goes on by saying all members of Congress need to be on the same page in order to get this done.
Commenter Tom Crook responded with the same concept. "The real question is by what specific mechanism do you make this happen and how do you sell that mechanism politically to all of the stakeholders who have something to lose under this new paradigm," he commented. "What you can't argue with is at least Mr. Ryan proposed something tangible instead of conceptual."
Crook, like most Twitter followers seem to agree on, is that something needs to change.
What are your thoughts on the Paul Ryan healthcare replacement plan? Tweet at us @HFNewsTweet, or follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn to share your thoughts.