Paul Ryan will take shots at President Obama's health care law as he seeks to defend the GOP presidential ticket's proposals to dramatically overhaul Medicare during a speech today at AARP.
The Republican vice presidential nominee will bring his mother, Betty Douglas, with him to the AARP conference in New Orleans as he makes an emotional appeal about their plans to protect the popular health insurance program for seniors.
"The first step to a stronger Medicare is to repeal Obamacare, because it represents the worst of both worlds," Ryan will say, according to excerpts released by Mitt Romney's campaign. "First it funnels $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn't even ask for. Second, it puts 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of Medicare's future."
The $716 billion is reduced government spending on Medicare over 10 years that is being used to pay for Obama's health care law. Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, included the same figure in his budgets but now supports Romney on restoring that funding.
The Romney-Ryan plan on Medicare would give seniors a set amount of money to purchase either the traditional, government-run Medicare program or a private health insurance program.It would affect future retirees, and not current Medicare recipients such as Ryan's 78-year-old mother.
Ryan will vow an honest conversation about the need to rein in spending on entitlements such as Medicare and Social Security as a way to protect those programs for future generations.
"You're right to worry that years of empty promises by both political parties are threatening the security of your golden years," Ryan will say. "And you're right to demand honest answers from those asking for your vote. Mitt Romney and I share your concerns. And we respect you enough to level with you. We respect all the people of this country enough to talk about the clear choices we face on Medicare, Social Security, the economy and the kind of country our children will inherit."
Swing state voters by 50%-44% say they have more faith in Obama than Romney to handle Medicare, according to the latest USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 12 battlegrounds. These voters are also more likely to say Romney's Medicare proposals would weaken the program.
