Top Democrats are starting to line up against any efforts by the Republican-controlled Congress to privatize Medicare, a long-sought goal of House Speaker Paul Ryan.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told the Washington Post on Monday that any effort to privatize Medicare would unify Democrats. She gave an example of 2005, when President George W. Bush was re-elected and pushed to partially privatize Social Security.
“At that time, we committed to each other that we would be unified and disciplined,” Pelosi told the Post. “Bush had just been elected. He gave us an opportunity by saying he would partially privatize Social Security.”
She added that if Republicans choose to try to privatize Medicare, the effort would clearly highlight differences between the two parties.
“This is such a stark difference that people know we have to be unified,” she said.
Other Democrats have attempted to get out in front of the issue as well.
“I have opposed efforts to privatize Medicare in the past, and I will oppose any effort to privatize Medicare or turn it into a voucher program in the future,” said Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind. He is one of several red state senators who are up for re-election in 2018.
Republicans have made repealing Obamacare a major priority when Donald Trump is inaugurated in January, but so far not privatizing Medicare. However, privatization has been a goal in prior Republican budgets drafted by House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Trump’s transition website includes a nod to revamping Medicare, saying his administration intends to modernize the program so that “it will be ready for the challenges with the coming retirement of the Baby Boom generation and beyond.”
