NASHVILLE - Cuts and changes to Medicare and Medicaid will be debated when Congress returns from its two-week break.

Proposals by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis) and Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn) aim to cap federal spending.

Those in favor of the plans say the changes are necessary to reduce the deficit, while opponents say they will do little to curb rising health-care costs – and seniors will pay the price.

Paul Van de Water, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, says the out-of-pocket cost for the average 65-year-old on Medicare is about $6,000 per year, and under the proposed plan the expense for seniors would double.

"By shifting from traditional Medicare to private plans, it would substantially increase the cost of health-care spending overall, because traditional Medicare has much lower administrative costs than private insurance plans."

As for Medicaid, the federal government's share is about 55 percent of what the states pay. Under the Ryan plan, that would be replaced with a block grant, which according to Van de Water would leave the program with a shortfall.

"The result is to cause states to have to restrict eligibility, cut off people who need support or reduce the benefits that are covered."

Another reason the costs would go up, Van de Water says, is that Medicare can negotiate better rates from doctors and hospitals than can private insurance companies. Republicans have faced criticism of the Medicare overhaul in constituent meetings across the country during the congressional recess.