Toomey to Skip GOP Medicare Plan in Budget Pitch

Medicare reform is an idea unlikely to be accepted by the Democratic-controlled Senate and one that is already causing political trouble for Republican House members who voted for it in their budget. So it’s not surprising that Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., planned to leave out the House Republicans’ plan to replace Medicare with subsidies for private insurance in the budget proposal he presented to the Budget Committee Tuesday, according to a summary of the plan The Hill obtained.

To be sure, the summary does indicate that Toomey will keep the House plan to change Medicaid into a block-grant program. But his stance on Medicare indicates Senate Republicans are unwilling to take up what seems like a losing issue to them.

Toomey’s plan would overturn the new reform law while keeping its Medicare cuts and changes to state medical malpractice laws that are slated to save the federal government about $64 billion.