Views on Ryan's Medicare plan: A change from 'petty' politics; 'Creative approach' to solving the problem; Time for a 'serious national debate'

Commentators welcome the addition of Medicare policy to the presidential campaign rhetoric.

The Wall Street Journal: Seriousness In Politics
By picking Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney introduced Medicare into his campaign for the presidency. Veterans of the entitlement wars immediately said that in doing so Gov. Romney was suiciding his candidacy. This essentially was the same view many Washington Republicans had when Paul Ryan first brought up the subject of reforming Medicare and the other entitlements in his 2008 budget Roadmap. … Until Mr. Romney's decision, it has been conventional GOP wisdom not to introduce Medicare into elections. If Republicans did, Democrats would pound their shoes on the table and yell that Ryan-like reforms will "end Medicare as we know it." The truth is that an unreformed Medicare will end the United States as we know it. … By whatever calculation, Gov. Romney has introduced seriousness into American electoral politics, which has become increasingly petty and self-absorbed (Daniel Henninger, 8/22).

The Wall Street Journal: The Truth About Ryan And His Critics
The more voters learn about Congressman Paul Ryan's leadership style and his thoughtful and creative approach to solving problems, the more they will decide that the Romney-Ryan ticket looks presidential and electable. That's why there has been a coordinated effort in recent days to ramp up not just the "Mediscare" rhetoric against Mr. Ryan, but to depict him as a partisan ideologue who was instrumental in derailing a grand bargain on the deficit. This line of attack is cynical and, most of all, false (Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., 8/22).

Bloomberg: Diving Into Health Care Is Dangerous To My Health
The bad news is, nothing that has been enacted (the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010) or proposed (Republican Representative Paul Ryan's "Path to Prosperity") addresses the fundamental problem plaguing the U.S. health-care system: It is designed to manage disease rather than promote wellness. …The challenge of saving Medicare from insolvency in 2024 would be easier if seniors had lived healthier lives. It would be a lot easier if the system corrected the perverse economic incentives that reward doctors for unnecessary procedures (Caroline Baum, 8/22).

Journal of the American Medical Association: Time For A Serious National Debate About Medicare Reform
With Rep Paul Ryan (R, Wis) now Governor Romney's running mate, Medicare reform is front and center in the election debate. This development could provide a chance to have a serious national debate about the program. But it could also mean any chance of a real conversation is drowned out by political hysteria and attack ads (Butler, 8/22).

Health Policy Solutions: The Ryan Plan – Better Medicine At A Lower Price
The selection of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney's running mate holds out hope that people in public life are finally beginning to appreciate the fact that market-oriented health care reforms offer the best potential for finally giving elderly Americans the ability to get better medical care at a lower cost. They do this by giving people an incentive to use health care more wisely. Individuals and their physicians know more about the health care that they need and what adds value to it than any number of officials in Washington, D.C., and various state capitols working on "value-based" health care plans. Because individuals know more, they can economize in a multitude of small ways that outsiders would never dream of (Linda Gorman, 8/22).