Sen. Ron Wyden rejects Ryan’s debate claim he supports GOP Medicare plan

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) did not appreciate Paul Ryan calling him a supporter of the Romney-Ryan Medicare plan during Thursday’s vice presidential debate.

Ryan mentioned his work with Wyden to argue that his Medicare proposal could garner bipartisan support in Congress. Romney and Ryan’s plan is based on the proposal that Ryan and Wyden released earlier this year — over strong complaints from Wyden’s fellow Democrats.

“This is a plan that’s bipartisan,” Ryan said. “It’s a plan I put together with a prominent Democrat senator from Oregon.”

Wyden made clear on his Facebook page that he does not support the plan Romney and Ryan are advancing, despite his past partnership with Ryan.

{mosads}”The Romney/Ryan plan on Medicare pulls the safety net out from under the poorest and most vulnerable seniors, taking away the opportunity for nursing home care from seniors who need it and have no other options,” Wyden wrote after the debate.

“The Wyden-Ryan white paper strengthened the safety net for these dual eligibles. The Romney/Ryan version shreds it. The republican ticket knows that neither I, nor any other Democrat, would support these policies.”

Ryan’s initial Medicare plan, released in 2011, would have completely ended the existing Medicare program and moved seniors into a new system of private insurance. The subsequent Wyden-Ryan plan, much like Romney-Ryan, would leave the existing program in place, so seniors could choose between traditional Medicare or private coverage.

Wyden voted against the Ryan budget in the Senate, and has said he can’t support the proposal in part because it would repeal the Affordable Care Act.

“The Romney/Ryan plan on Medicare is further proof that Mitt Romney is singularly unfit to end gridlock and bring bipartisan solutions to Washington,” Wyden wrote on Facebook.