House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Thursday continued to push for some form of Medicare privatization, but he did not offer many details on what changes to the program he would seek or when the House would tackle it.
Ryan told reporters at a press conference that Congress is “going to have to do things to preserve” Medicare, again claiming that the program “is on a path to going bankrupt.”
The speaker said that changes to Medicare would not effect people “in or near retirement,” and he said that a proposal could allow people to either choose among a selection of insurance plans or stick with the current traditional program.
Ryan also said that he has not spoken to the transition team about Medicare.
“I have not discussed Medicare with President-elect Trump,” he told reporters.
When asked about Senate Republicans who do not seem eager to move quickly on privatization of Medicare, Ryan dismissed what he called “Democratic talking points.”
“I think what’s happening is you’re getting the latest wave of Democratic talking points to try to play Medi-scare politics, which is what they typically do every other Tuesday,” he said.
