Medicare, Medicaid increasingly become hot topics in debt-ceiling talks

Jun 20 2011

The future of these entitlement programs will be in play this week as negotiations continue, with both parties beginning to make concessions and hint that a deal could emerge.

The Hill: Changes To Medicare, Medicaid To Be Discussed In Hearings, Debt Talks 
The future of Medicare and Medicaid will be a hot topic as negotiations on the debt ceiling continue this week. At least three bipartisan meetings helmed by Vice President Biden have been scheduled, and both parties began to make concessions this past week as a possible deal appeared to emerge. After House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said he's open to keeping traditional Medicare as an option alongside private plans in his overhaul proposal, House Democrats offered their own solutions for preserving Medicare's solvency (Pecquet, 6/20).

Politico Pro: Med Groups Worry About Biden Talks On Debt Ceiling
As Vice President Joe Biden's bipartisan talks to raise the debt ceiling kick into overdrive this week, provider groups say they have reached an uneasy realization that some of the cuts will hit them square in the wallet. In private conversations and in public forums, interest groups — such as the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and others — have sounded alarms over potential cuts that could come their way as lawmakers eye ways to cut spending (Dobias, 6/20).