The House GOP is considering a bill to privatize Medicare, in the same way that I consider what I would do if I had a billion dollars:
Months after they hammered Democrats for cutting Medicare, House Republicans are debating whether to relaunch their quest to privatize the health program for seniors. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is testing support for his idea to replace Medicare with a fixed payment to buy a private medical plan from a menu of coverage options. [...]"No decisions have been made on the details of our House GOP budget," Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Thursday. "There are a lot of ideas out there, and we're going to listen to our members and the American people."
This Republican majority is far more conservative than past majorities, but I'd be shocked if they could assemble a majority to privatize Medicare. Here's why:
In other words, you can sort most of the Republican coalition into two groups: Medicare beneficiaries and soon-to-be Medicare beneficiaries. I can't imagine that any GOP rep would want to return to his older constituents with news that he has put a cap on their Medicare benefits, or -- for that matter -- taken away their prescription drug benefit. Since Medicare privatization isn't a serious consideration, my guess is that this is signaling; without a concrete agenda -- or the ability to pass major legislation through the Senate -- House Republicans will have to bide their time with symbolic measures, to show activists that they are serious about ... something.
-- Jamelle Bouie
