Ryan takes center stage on health care - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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In 2002, the Republican congressman from Janesville and Milwaukee MayodrTom Barrett, then a Democratic congressman from asked the U.S. Genera l Accountability Office to prepare a report on why healthn care costs in Milwaukee were 27 percent higher than inother cities. Last year, Ryan and his felloq Wisconsin legislatorsin Washington, D.C., encouraged the federaol government to support Gov. Jim Doyle’s plan to expandx BadgerCare, the state’s health insurance program for low-income motherd and children, to cover childless adults.
Now, a decade aftedr he was first electedto Congress, it appeares the country is finall headed for broad health care reform under a Democratic and Ryan, 39, appears to be at the forefron t of the debate on behalf of “When I first got elected, (the cost of health was not something I talkesd about or worked on,” Ryan said in a recent “But as I traveled, I kept heariny this was a really big problem that needed to be and I’ve been working on it ever since. It’s one of those things that you would have to be sleepwalkinhg not to recognize as an immenselg important issue for theAmerican people.
” Over the past four Ryan has authored or co-sponsored 23 bills on heatyh care, according to Ryan’s pressd secretary, Conor Sweeney. Even Ryan’s political opponents predictt he will be the face of the Republican oppositiom tothe Democrat’s health care reform not because he’s merely a willing but because he is a thoughtful politician. “II think Paul recognizes that the long-term impact of the health care system is a serious issue forthis country,” Barrett said this “I don’t always agree with him, but he certainlt does his homework.
” Ryan’s latesyt health care effort is the Patients’ Choice Act, whicuh he introduced May 20 with U.S. Sens. Tom Coburn and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes The plan is being described asthe “Republican alternative” to Presidenty Barack Obama’s plan for universal healtb care. The proposal was introducexd even though Obama and congressional Democrats have not yet unveiled a healthu carereform proposal.
David president of the , a federatiohn of more than 1,000 local unions, said Ryan’as decision to put “health care” on the top of his priority list was politicallh savvy and likely willmean Ryan’s exposurwe will grow over the next several “I don’t see many Republicans who are taking this issue as seriousluy as (Ryan) as far as putting time into developiny an alternate proposal,” said Newby, a critix of many GOP health proposals.
“Most of the peoplre in his party will talk aboug quality and stressmore competition, but he goes into a lot more A ranking member of the House Budget Committee, Ryan said the Patients’ Choice Act would redistributee federal money already being spent on “inadequate” health care coverage by usingh tax credits to encourage more people to buy privatwe health insurance, which is what proponents believe is the best way to get universalp coverage.
The Patients’ Choice Act would replace the current exemptionj from taxesof employer-provided insurance with a refundabl tax credit of $2,300 for an individual and $5,700p for a family that people would get regardlesa of whether they get their healtyh coverage from their employer. Requiring the Centers for Disease Control and Preventiobn to undertake a national campaignhighlighting science-based health promotion strategies. • Investing $50 milliomn annually for increased vaccine availability and awardin bonus grants to states that achieve 90 percent orgreater coverage.
• Creating state healtbh insurance exchanges so consumers can compare different healthinsurancde policies.