Ryan blames politics for preventing overarching agreement to reduce the debt

Examples of how the politics of Medicare have picked up momentum since Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., advanced his proposal to revamp the proposal can be seen in a range of developments — including a letter from Democratic lawmakers to President Barack Obama, comments for Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and even a tightening special election for a New York congressional seat.

Bloomberg: Ryan Says Politics Prevents 'Grand Slam' Agreement On Reducing U.S. Debt
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said he doesn't expect a "grand slam" deficit-cutting agreement that addresses the main drivers of the long-term debt, mainly Medicare, before Congress votes on raising the debt limit (Przbyla, 5/5).

The Hill: Dems To Obama: No To GOP Medicare
Fifty Senate Democrats on Thursday sent President Obama a letter commending him for his opposition to Republicans' Medicare overhaul and urging him to stay the course as both parties negotiate an increase in the debt ceiling. "The Republican budget proposal would not keep pace with the rate of inflation for health care, meaning seniors would pay ever higher out-of-pocket costs," the letter reads. "Under the proposal, the annual increase for the vouchers will fall short of the actual rate of inflation for health care — meaning out-of-pocket expenses for seniors will continue to soar. And to make matters worse, the Republican budget would repeal the only credible means of restraining health care costs — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Pecquet, 5/5).

Politico: Kathleen Sebelius: Seniors May 'Die Sooner' Under Ryan Plan
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that the Ryan Medicare proposal will lead to early deaths among seniors. During testimony before the House Education and the Workforce Committee, she said seniors "will run out of money very quickly" (Feder, 5/5).

The New York Times: GOP Medicare Plan Shakes Up Race For House Seat
Only weeks ago, top Democrats appeared to have all but written off a special election for a Congressional seat in the suburbs of Buffalo. After all, Republican voters vastly outnumber Democrats in the district, and the Republican candidate, Jane L. Corwin, a well-liked state assemblywoman, seemed to be a shoo-in. Then along came Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin. Mr. Ryan, a top House Republican, released a plan calling for the most extensive overhaul of Medicare since it was created. That, it seems, has significantly changed the contest in New York's 26th Congressional District (Hernandez, 5/5).