What does Paul Ryan want to do to old people?

Answer 1

In Paul Ryan's view, he is not trying to hurt anyone. Based on interviews he has given, he believes the social safety net must be reformed, because he believes the current system, which has been part of this country since the 1930s, is going broke. Congressman Ryan, who is a member of the Republican party and a fiscal conservative, also believes entitlement programs cost too much and that the government should not be dispensing such benefits. Rather, he wants to privatize these programs, changing from the current system of the government giving the elderly their Medicare/Medicaid, to an entirely private system where older people would be given vouchers to buy health insurance themselves from the marketplace.

Needless to say, this is a controversial idea. Opponents, who are mostly Democrats but do include some moderate Republicans, dispute that the current system is going broke. They also believe the government has a responsibility to care for older people and that it should continue to provide them with a safety net. Ryan's opponents believe that making the system private would drive up costs, and the vouchers he wants to give would not be enough to pay for health care, nor would it be easy for many elderly people to negotiate on the open market.

But after the partisan spin from both sides ("He's trying to kill grandma!" versus "He's trying to save the government from going broke!"), there are some difficult truths that must be examined, including the fact that entitlement programs have become very expensive over the years. Ryan's plan may seem extreme to his opponents, but in his view, he is trying to start a discussion about how to pay for the benefits needed by an increasing number of elderly people. Democrats disagree. They believe he is being inflexible and that his plan will harm senior citizens. Democrats continue to express their commitment to maintaining programs like Medicare, but even some Democrats realize there needs to be a way to cut some of the costs without cutting the services many seniors depend on.