News Alert: Ryan to announce compromise on federally funded Medicare

	Wednesday, December 14, 2011 5:05:40 PM POLITICS NEWS ALERT Ryan to announce compromise on federally funded Medicare House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, who has been castigated by Democrats and hailed by Republicans for his plan to privatize Medicare, will on Thursday unveil a new approach that would preserve the 46-year-old federal health program in its current form. Working with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the Wisconsin Republican is developing a framework that would keep government-run Medicare as an option for new retirees starting in 2022, along with a variety of private plans. Seniors would still receive a set amount of money from the government to buy insurance, as they would under the Medicare proposal Ryan included in the budget blueprint that passed the House last year. But the new approach would let that subsidy, known as premium support, rise or fall along with the actual cost of the policies — creating more protection for seniors and saving potentially far less in the budget. The unusual alliance between Ryan and Wyden could complicate election-year politics for both parties on an explosive issue. Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/ryan-to-announce-plan-to-keep-federally-funded-medicare/2011/12/14/gIQACf7XuO_story.html Or visit PostPolitics.com. SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE E-MAIL CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 ©2011 The Washington Post Privacy Policy