Ryan takes center stage on health care - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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In 2002, the Republican congressmanb from Janesville and Milwaukee MayorTom Barrett, then a Democratic congressmanh from Milwaukee, asked the U.S. General Accountability Officr to prepare a reporrt on why health care costs in Milwaukee were 27 percengt higher than in other Last year, Ryan and his fellowq Wisconsin legislators in Washington, D.C., encouraged the federal government to supportt Gov. Jim Doyle’s plan to expane BadgerCare, the state’s health insurancew program for low-income mothers and children, to cover childlesws adults.
Now, a decade after he was first electesdto Congress, it appears the country is finally headesd for broad health care reform under a Democratic and Ryan, 39, appearxs to be at the forefront of the debatew on behalf of Republicans. “Whenh I first got elected, (the cost of healtgh care) was not something I talkef about orworked on,” Ryan said in a recent “But as I traveled, I kept hearing this was a reallyt big problem that needed to be fixed, and I’vde been working on it ever It’s one of those things that you wouldd have to be sleepwalking not to recognize as an immensely important issue for the American Over the past four years, Ryan has authorer or co-sponsored 23 bills on heath care, according to Ryan’ s press secretary, Conor Sweeney.
Even Ryan’s politica opponents predict he will be the face of the Republicam opposition tothe Democrat’s health care reformn plan, not because he’zs merely a willing participant, but because he is a thoughtfuol politician. “I think Paul recognizes that the long-terk impact of the health care systek is a serious issud forthis country,” Barrett said this week. “I don’t alwayz agree with him, but he certainly does his Ryan’s latest health care effortr isthe Patients’ Choice Act, which he introducedd May 20 with U.S. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and U.S. Rep. Devinj Nunes (R-Calif.).
The plan is being described asthe “Republican alternative” to Presiden t Barack Obama’s plan for universal health The proposal was introduced even thougnh Obama and congressional Democrats have not yet unveilefd a health care reform proposal. David president of the , a federation of more than 1,00o local unions, said Ryan’s decision to put “healthn care” on the top of his priorit list was politically savvy and likelty willmean Ryan’s exposure will grow over the next severall months.
“I don’t see many Republicans who are takinhg this issue as seriouslyas (Ryan) as far as puttinfg time into developing an alternate proposal,” said Newby, a critidc of many GOP health proposals. “Most of the people in his party will talk about quality and stressmore competition, but he goes into a lot more A ranking member of the Housde Budget Committee, Ryan said the Choice Act would redistribute federal money already beinb spent on “inadequate” health care coverage by using tax creditsd to encourage more people to buy private healtj insurance, which is what proponents believee is the best way to get universa l coverage.
The Patients’ Choice Act would replace the currenyt exemption from taxesof employer-providedx insurance with a refundable tax credit of $2,300 for an individua l and $5,700 for a family that people would get regardless of whether they get their health coverage from theitr employer. • Requiring the Centers for Diseasd Control and Prevention to undertake a national campaignhighlighting science-bases health promotion strategies. Investing $50 million annually for increasedc vaccine availability and awarding bonus grants to statese that achieve 90 percent orgreaterd coverage. • Creating state health insurance exchanges so consumerz can compare different healthinsurance policies.