Preparing for 'Ryan 2.0'

Democrats and Republicans alike are girding for the unveiling of the 2013 budget plan by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R- Wis., and its provisions to overhaul Medicare.

Politico Pro: Medicare And The Budget Battle-;Again
For House Democrats, this week's recess is a warm-up exercise for a battle over what they call Ryan 2.0. Never mind that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has one key Democratic ally, or that he made concessions to Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden as they worked out their Medicare premium support plan, expected to be part of Ryan's fiscal 2013 budget. Democrats don't plan on letting such subtleties slow down their election year refrain that Republicans will "end Medicare as we know it." And it was spelled out in the talking points House Democrats took home this week (DoBias, 3/14).

CQ HealthBeat: Wyden Sees Future For His And Ryan's Medicare Plan
Sen. Ron Wyden is standing behind the Medicare plan he cosponsored with House Budget Chairman Paul D. Ryan, a plan that is expected to be a centerpiece of a House budget resolution scheduled to be unveiled next week. "I do think that there's a bipartisan opportunity for a premium support program, which guarantees affordability for every senior," the Oregon Democrat said Tuesday. "And you get that through competitive bidding where the bid is tiered to the actual costs of a senior's health care in that area" (Krawzak, 3/13).

Meanwhile, the GOP is still confronting intra-party differences of opinion regarding the budget -

Reuters: House Republican Leaders Set To Break Budget Deal
Republican leaders in the House of Representatives are ready to break a hard-fought budget deal with Democrats as they try to quell a revolt by conservatives who are insisting on deeper spending cuts ahead of the November elections. House Republican aides said on Tuesday that House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor were pressing for a modest $19 billion reduction of discretionary spending caps in this year's Republican budget plan (Lawder, 3/14).