Gallup: More Seniors Prefer Ryan Budget Plan than Obama's

This is not as surprising as one would think. In the Ryan budget, his Medicare proposal, which would provide vouchers so that recipients can purchase their own insurance, does not cover current users of the system. The Democrats can use all the scare tactics they wish, but as far as senior citizens are concerned, the Ryan budget proposals offer no change to how they receive the benefit.

Josh Kraushaar of the National Journal:

A new Gallup/USA Today poll contains a counterintuitive finding: the age group most receptive to House Budget Chair Paul Ryan’s plan to deal with the budget – seniors.

The poll finds 48 percent of seniors (those 65 and over) support Ryan’s plan over President Obama’s plan, while 42 percent back the president.

That’s the highest total among the age groups tested – a 47 percent plurality between the ages of 50 and 64 backed Ryan, and a 45 percent plurality of those between 30-49 backed Ryan. But young voters overwhelmingly sided with Obama by a 23-point margin, 53 to 30 percent.

Overall, 44 percent back Obama’s plan, while 43 percent support Ryan.

Republicans hold a double-digit lead over Democrats in public perception of which party would do a better job dealing with the federal budget, according to the survey. 48 percent prefer Republicans, while 36 percent prefer Democrats in Congress.

Apparently, younger voters haven’t caught on to the fact that Medicare is going bust and their taxes are going to be raised significantly to pay for it in its present form. A little hard truth from Romney/Ryan aimed at the younger generation would narrow that gap significantly. If they want any kind of subsidized health care when they hit old age, it would behoove us to reform the system now. The longer we wait, the more painful it will become.

This is what makes Ryan a prophet. Ten years from now, if we do nothing, Medicare costs will increase from $560 billion in 2010 to $1 trillion by 2022. By that time, his plan to reform Medicare will look like a walk in the park. What is considered “radical” today will be a necessity in a decade.