Dems propose cutting Medicare; criticize Repubs for same thing

Over at Townhall is a discussion of the democrats,' including Paul Krugman's, criticism of Paul Ryan's roadmap to straighten out the economy, including the looming health care mess:

Translation: Obamacare’s vaunted savings comes from automatic, across-the-board cuts to Medicare. These it would achieve by slowing the rate at which Medicare payments for hospitals and nursing homes can go up compared to the overall rate of medical inflation. Assumptions for large health-care savings from Obamacare hinge on the premise that Medicare can pay less – a lot less over time – for seniors’ care, and that providers will respond by becoming more productive and efficient, finding ways to provide the same benefits more cheaply.

The problem is that these top-down cuts don’t work. In fact, by 2019, Medicare payment rates would actually dip below those for Medicaid – which already pays much less than private insurers do.