Rokita Readings

Statement

As we head into this fall, there's much confusion swirling around about the various proposals for Medicare reform in Washington. Some of that confusion results from outright distortions about the plan that we on the House Budget Committee crafted under the leadership of Chairman Paul Ryan.

As this Wall Street Journal column explains, the claim that our plan would force seniors to pay $6,400 more per year in health care costs is simply false. That misleading figure was calculated using an out-of-date Congressional Budget Office projection of the costs of health care in 2022, and the amount of premium support in a previous version of the House budget -- not the most current version, the Path to Prosperity.

Part of the reason the CBO's model doesn't work is that it cannot account for the market-driven reforms our budget would implement. These reforms would increase competition by having Medicare and private insurers compete to offer the best value to seniors. Seniors would receive a subsidy equal to the second-lowest bid -- a mechanism that was found to lower costs in a recent study by Harvard economists.

Our plan would actually make health care more affordable for seniors, while also helping to rein in the current unsustainable spending and ensure that these programs will be around for our kids and grandkids. So the next time you hear someone say that our Medicare reforms will "end Medicare as we know it," kindly point out to them that without reform, Medicare will end the United States as we know it.

Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts in Washington. Take care.

Sincerely,

Todd Rokita

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