WASHINGTON (AP) — A bold but politically risky plan to cut billions of dollars from the federal budget is coming to a House vote as insurgent Republicans rally behind the idea of fundamentally reshaping the government’s role in health care for the elderly and the poor.
The GOP plan set for a Friday vote promises more than $6 billion in spending cuts from the budget President Barack Obama introduced in February, relying on stiff cuts to domestic agency accounts, food stamps and the Medicaid health care program for the poor and disabled.
The measure also calls for transforming Medicare from a program in which the government directly pays medical bills into a voucher-like system that subsidizes purchases of private insurance plans.
