Rep. Ryan says budget plan will assume repeal of health law

In an interview on Fox, the House Budget chairman doesn't make clear if the plan he will announce this week will call for a total repeal of the 2010 law but he says Republicans are still keen to get rid of the health overhaul.

The Washington Post: Paul Ryan: Budget Blueprint Will Promote Repealing Health Care Law
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Sunday that the budget blueprint he plans to unveil later this week will promote repealing President Obama's signature health care law. "Yes, our budget does promote repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a better system," Ryan, the chairman of the House Budget Committee, said on "Fox News Sunday." Past House Republican efforts to repeal the president's health care law have failed and the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of law last year (Sullivan, 3/10).

The Hill: Rep. Paul Ryan: House Budget Will Assume The Repeal Of 'ObamaCare'
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Sunday said he will not back down from the battle to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act even though some Republicans think the party should move on. Ryan dismissed criticism that House Republicans have virtually no chance of dismantling the signature legislative accomplishment of Obama's first term and their efforts might be better expended elsewhere. ... Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) suggested shortly after Election Day that the political calculus had changed on repealing the controversial law (Bolton, 3/10).

Fox News: Ryan: New House Republican Budget Includes ObamaCare Repeal
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said Sunday that his new budget includes the repeal of President Obama's health-care reform law known as ObamaCare. ... Ryan said the focus of the ObamaCare repeal would be to stop the expansion of Medicaid, the federal program that provides medical services to low-income U.S. families. "Our budget does promote repealing ObamaCare," said Ryan, who was not clear whether his 2014 budget is based on a full repeal (3/10).

Politico: Ryan Defends Obamacare Repeal In Budget
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan on Sunday defended his new budget's assumption that President Barack Obama's healthcare law would be repealed. "Are you saying, as part of your budget you assume the repeal of ObamaCare?," "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace asked the Wisconsin Republican and former vice presidential nominee. "Yes," Ryan answered, "Well, that's not going to happen," Wallace said. Republicans have long advocated a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. But Obama's reelection and continued Democratic control of the Senate make a repeal virtually impossible. Nevertheless, Ryan said budget documents were about a vision for the country. "We believe Obamacare is a program that will not work," Ryan said. "We believe Obamacare will actually lead to hospitals and doctors and health care providers turning people away"  (Tau, 3/10). 

Politico: Ryan On Medicare Proposal: 'It's Not A Voucher'
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan defended his proposed changes to the Medicare program on Sunday, insisting that his plan does not turn Medicare into a "voucher" as Democrats have charged. "It's not a voucher -; it's premium support, those are very different," the Wisconsin Republican said on "Fox News Sunday." "A voucher is you go to your mailbox, you get a check and you go buy something. That's not what we're saying," Ryan said. "We're saying, let's convert Medicare into a system that works like the one I have as a congressman," he said. "Medicare subsidizes your plan based on who you are. Total subsidy for the poor and the sick. Less of a subsidy for wealthy seniors" (Tau, 3/10).