Jim Sensenbrenner backs off Paul Ryan’s Medicare voucher proposal

According to a report from the Brookfield Patch, at a recent town hall meeting Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Silver Spoon) backed off his support of fellow Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program in the face of vocal opposition to the plan by Sensenbrenner’s constituents.

At age 54, Menomonee Falls resident Paul Race said he just misses the cutoff in U.S. Paul Ryan’s proposal to reform Medicare for those younger than 55.

“If it’s good enough for the people 54 and younger… then I think it’s good enough for people 55 and older,” said Race, a former Marine who has been a teacher for 25 years.

He said under Ryan’s plan he would have to “go shopping to insurance companies” whose administrative costs will be higher than under Medicare and who may be unwilling to cover people with pre-existing conditions.

He predicted he will have to spend a greater share of his retirement funds on health care than will those 55 and older.

Responding to criticisms of Rep. Ryan’s plan to turn Medicare into essentially a voucher program, Sensenbrenner said, “I’m not here to say he’s (Ryan) right or he’s wrong, but at least he’s got a plan.”

I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement by Rep. Sensenbrenner.