RyanCare would be far less injurious to seniors than ObamaCare or, for that matter, doing nothing.

Official calculations show that Medicare has $34 trillion less than it needs to keep all its promises to seniors. Yet ObamaCare will take $500 billion out of Medicare over 10 years to cover 30 million uninsured Americans.

Basic arithmetic suggests that this would hasten the demise of the program. Not so, according to President Obama. He says he’ll squeeze out savings by cutting reimbursement to providers. ObamaCare will create something called the Independent Payment Advisory Board, composed of 15 experts. Their job will be to hold down spending by identifying reimbursement cuts, and their recommendations will be binding on Congress. If this board recommends what many fear it will, Medicare’s reimbursement rates will drop below Medicaid’s, which will mean that doctors will turn away seniors like they do the poor. In effect, in addition to an early death option, ObamaCare offers seniors diminished access to quality care. If this is compassion, give me cruelty.

RyanCare is not perfect, but at least it won’t rob Grandma Millie to buy Cousin Joe coverage.

Medicare’s least bad fix