VP candidate Ryan heckled at retiree event

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan was heckled and booed by seniors on Friday as he argued that popular health and pension programs for retirees needed to be revamped.

Members of the retiree group AARP ripped into Ryan as he laid out the Republicans’ case for quashing President Barack Obama's healthcare law and partially privatizing the Medicare health plan.

The New Orleans event took place during a tough week for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his campaign, which has struggled to clarify comments he made belittling people who receive government benefits or pay no income taxes, a group that includes those who receive Social Security and Medicare.

A fiscal conservative, Ryan's proposed changes to Medicare have emerged as a cornerstone of the Republicans’ race to the White House.

As chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee, Ryan’s budget plan would include curbing government spending and shift some Medicare participants into private insurance plans purchased with the help of government subsidies.

Ryan and other Republicans argue that private competition is the best way to curb rising health costs.

However, the Democrats believe the approach would force retirees to pay more of their health bills themselves.

AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, is made up of 37 million members and viewed as one of the most powerful lobbying forces in Washington.

It resisted cuts to Social Security and Medicare during budget negotiations and worked to pass Obama's healthcare law.