GOP's 2012 budget would drastically alter Medicare

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

House Republicans Tuesday are expected to unveil a budget plan for 2012 that offers significant cuts in federal spending and a sweeping restructuring of Medicare and Medicaid to reduce the nation's massive deficit.
The plan, authored by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., would cut spending by $4 trillion over the next decade, exceeding the reductions proposed by President Obama's own deficit commission.

But if the current budget negotiations are any indication, Ryan's proposal faces an uphill battle for passage in Congress.

Republicans and Democrats have yet to agree on far less significant cuts in the budget for the current fiscal year, which is more than half over, and if they can't strike a deal by Friday, when the latest temporary funding measure expires, they risk at least a partial government shutdown. Republicans are demanding $61 billion in cuts. Democrats are offering $33 billion.

"Despite attempts by Democrats to lock in a number among themselves, I've made clear that their $33 billion is not enough and many of the cuts that the White House and Senate Democrats are talking about are full of smoke and mirrors," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said on Monday.

[Geee]

[clearvision]

Going to need to win another election cycle or two to get anything like this done.