Ryan Speaks About Repealing Obamacare and Reforming Medicare to Seniors

Addressing the audience at an AARP convention today, Paul Ryan declared, "The first step to a stronger Medicare is to repeal Obamacare." He explained to those in attendance how Obamacare would turn "Medicare into a piggy bank," while also putting "15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of Medicare’s future."  Ryan added, "The president doesn’t talk much about what Obamacare will really mean for seniors." Why? "People don’t like it."

AP / Ryan J. Foley

Indeed, the latest polling from Rasmussen Reports shows that seniors favor the repeal of Obamacare by a margin of 22 percentage points -- 59 to 37 percent.  They'd probably favor repeal by even more if they were to find out about Obama's Senior Swindle, his cynical and likely illegal ploy to conceal the effects of Obamacare's Medicare Advantage cuts from seniors until after the election.

Ryan also talked about the Romney-Ryan plan to reform Medicare for future (but not current) generations of seniors.  These reforms would infuse Medicare with much-needed competition and choice, giving future beneficiaries more opportunity and incentive to shop for value among a variety of competing heath plans—much like current seniors shop for value in the popular Medicare Part D program (the program for prescription drugs). Medicare Part D costs have come in 40 percent below projections.

Here's the full text of Ryan's remarks, as prepared for delivery: 

Thank you very much.  I appreciate the introduction, and this chance to be with you in New Orleans.  You’ve had a busy convention, and I know that many of you also made time yesterday to volunteer around this great city.  It was very much in the spirit of a group whose motto calls members to the service of others.  It was also very much in the spirit of this generous country. 

This country honors those who serve – and we have set aside today to remember those men and women in uniform who were taken as prisoners of war or went missing in action. To honor those who have endured this hardship, and to remember those who remain missing, I’d like to begin with a moment of silent prayer.

I thank you for that, and for your kind hospitality this morning.

Life at 50-plus. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m told that can happen before you know it.  I’m a little more focused these days on my forties, and in particular on the next four years.  But I have given a good deal of thought to later seasons in life, not just as someone with his own family to look after, but as someone with public responsibilities as well.  Many in Washington who held office long before I came along made some big and fundamental commitments.  It will fall to my generation to make sure those commitments are kept.

The challenges would be enormous under any circumstances; they are even tougher in a bad economy.  Many Americans over 50 are wondering: Will I lose my job before I’m ready to retire? Will the health and retirement security programs I’ve been counting on be there for me? What will happen to my savings if the value of the dollar keeps going down? What kind of nation are we leaving to our kids?

You’re right to ask these questions. You’re right to worry that years of empty promises by both political parties are threatening the security of your golden years. And you’re right to demand honest answers from those asking for your vote.

Mitt Romney and I share your concerns. And we respect you enough to level with you.  We respect all the people of this country enough to talk about the clear choices we face on Medicare, Social Security, the economy, and the kind of country our children will inherit.  

I’ll warn you ahead of time – these are very serious challenges. Sometimes, the math can be a little overwhelming. But let’s just start with some simple subtraction: 2012 minus 50.

If you’re turning 50 this year, you were born in 1962 – the dawn of a new era in American politics: JFK … civil rights … Vietnam. By the time you were learning long division, Neil Armstrong was walking on the moon.