With deficit concerns top of mind as Senate Republicans go deep into reconciliation bill-drafting mode, Medicare is increasingly coming up as a potential pay-for, particularly with several GOP senators looking to scale back the size of proposed Medicaid and food stamp cuts while expanding some tax breaks.
The Congressional Budget Office on Thursday confirmed the cost of the House-passed budget package would approach $3 trillion over a decade once added interest payments on the debt are factored in. Meanwhile concerns about shifting Medicaid costs to states haven’t abated, and at the same time, it was becoming clear the Senate Agriculture Committee was going to have to significantly reduce the cuts in their panel’s jurisdiction that came over from the House.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., for the first time acknowledged that Medicare, which covers about 20 percent of the U.S. population, mainly seniors, may be looked at. “I think anything we can do that’s waste, fraud and abuse are open to discussions,” Thune said when asked about whether Medicare cuts are on the table.
