Topic: Medicare
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5 steps to bipartisan cuts in Medicare – and the deficit
Medicare is the single greatest contributor to long-term deficits. If Democrats and Republicans cooperate on waste-cutting ideas – many of which are backed by President Obama – both parties stand to gain. Here are five ways Congress should act.
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If not 'sequester,' then what? Five ideas from left and right.
Few in Washington believe that "the sequester,” $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to hit the federal budget as of March 1, is a good idea. But what's the alternative? Here are five proposals, from the right, the center, and the left, to replace the sequester. Which do you like?
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Sequester 101: What happens if $85 billion in cuts hit on March 1
The sequester is a complex concept with a tortuous history. Here are the basics on the automatic spending reductions set to kick in March 1.
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Senate freshmen: What the 14 new members bring to Capitol Hill
A freshman Senate class was sworn in Jan. 3, bringing diverse skills and experience – not to mention agendas – to the legislative body. Whether the 14 newest senators help break partisan gridlock, or refuse to work across the aisle, will be the test for the 113th Congress.Twelve were elected on Nov. 6, including three Republicans, eight Democrats, and an independent. In addition, a Republican and a Democrat were appointed to vacant seats after the election. Here is a look at the 14 and what they bring to the Senate:
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How much do you know about US entitlement programs? Take our quiz.
The push to reform entitlement programs is at the heart of debates about the future of the US budget. They include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare).
All Content
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Why federal budget deficit is falling faster than CBO expected
The federal budget deficit will shrink this year to $642 billion, the nonpartisan CBO said in a new estimate Tuesday. Just three months ago, it was forecasting a deficit of $845 billion.
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Tax VOX Health cost growth slows. Time to rethink budget debate?
If future medical costs continue to grow at their current low rate the federal budget will be in much better shape than most analysts thought, Gleckman writes. The slowdown in health spending growth is sure to drive the fiscal debate in some important and perhaps unexpected ways.
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GOP senators boycott vote on McCarthy for EPA
Frustrated by what they call a lack of transparency from the EPA, all eight Republican senators on the Environment and Public Works committee boycotted a scheduled vote on Obama nominee Gina McCarthy to head the EPA.
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New report reveals stunning disparities in health-care costs
A joint replacement at one Los Angeles hospital costs $297,000; at another, 12 miles away, it's $84,000 – a gap that health-care experts say could help consumers, armed with such information, play a role in driving costs down.
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Immigration reform: How much will it cost US taxpayers?
The conservative Heritage Foundation says that immigration reform will cost $5 trillion over 50 years. But some conservatives are firing back, saying the study doesn't look at all the variables.
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USA Update Obama's 'try anything' bid to woo GOP moves from dinner to golf course
President Obama hit the golf course Monday with two Republican senators in an effort to build support for his second-term agenda. He has also had several dinners with GOP lawmakers.
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Girding for a federal budget battle royale, parties wrangle over rules
With Capitol Hill bracing for a battle over financial policy this summer, the focus now is on rules for the committee that will seek to reconcile House and Senate versions of the federal budget.
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Decoder Wire George W. Bush poll numbers up. Does America miss him yet?
George W. Bush left office with a 23 percent approval rating, but now, as his presidential library is about to open in Dallas, he's back up to 47 percent. But he's got a way to catch Bill Clinton.
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Will flight delays stir up ire against sequester?
Rolling flight delays blamed on automatic government spending cuts imposed in March snarled some of the nation's busiest airports, testing how Americans will gauge Washington's sequester solution to spending and debt issues.
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Immigration reform bill may hang on economic effect of legalizing millions
Friday's testimony at first Senate hearing on the bipartisan immigration reform bill presented economic pros and cons of legalizing some 11 million people. A chief concern is wage suppression for low-skill Americans.
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Finished 2012 taxes? Plan for '13.
Before you close the books on 2012, spend a few minutes thinking about taxes for 2013. High-income taxpayers in particular will have to plan to ease tax bite.
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Sen. Marco Rubio to Jay-Z: Get your facts straight on Cuba (+video)
Immigration reform pushed by the bipartisan 'Gang of Eight' hits the Senate this week. Sen. Marco Rubio is a key player, and he was all over the news shows Sunday talking about that.
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Obama budget 'compromise?' No way, says the GOP (+video)
In the Republican radio address Saturday, Rep. Jackie Walorski (R) of Indiana called President Obama's proposed budget for 2014 'a blank check for more spending and more debt.'
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Paul Ryan and Chris Van Hollen: the fiscal bellwethers
The two House members – longtime ideological foes – will play a central role in bringing their respective party members along if Congress is ever to cut a grand fiscal deal.
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How liberal anger at Obama budget helps the president, Democrats
The president's budget, with its cost-saving measures in Social Security and Medicare, has infuriated the left. That positions Obama more to the center and could help him achieve other goals – and save some Democratic seats in 2014.
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GOP's Rep. Dave Camp envisions inclusive path to a fiscal 'bargain'
Dave Camp, House Ways and Means Committee chairman, said Thursday that involving more members of Congress in budgeting and deficit-cutting could yield, if not a 'grand bargain,' at least a modest deal.
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Robert Reich Obama budget: Why entitlement cuts are a 'grand bargain' we don't need
President Obama's willingness to negotiate on Social Security – which Democrats have protected from Republican assaults for almost eighty years – doesn’t bode well, Reich writes.
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Obama budget: Is it 'austere'?
President Barack Obama's 2014 budget includes increases in spending for setting up health exchanges, increasing scrutiny for food safety, and gun violence and Alzheimer's disease research. It includes cuts to Medicare, such as reducing subsidies for wealthier people and diminishing the pay rate for physicians.
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Obama budget changes Social Security: Are Republicans on board?
President Obama proposed changes to entitlements including Social Security in his new budget, prompting hopes of a 'grand bargain.' Republicans mixed qualified approval with skepticism.
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Energy Voices Obama budget boosts 'green energy,' but no olive branch to GOP
President Obama's budget calls for increased investing in clean-energy technology and the ending of tax preferences for the oil and gas industry. The 2014 budget proposal is in line with the president's 'all-of-the-above' energy policy, but does little to reach across the aisle.
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Obama’s budget gambit: Return of the 'grand bargain'?
President Obama is for the first time proposing a budget that includes changes to Social Security and Medicare. This infuriates the left but could open the door to compromise with Republicans.
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Six things Obama's budget plan reveals about his priorities
President Obama's $3.78 trillion budget for fiscal 2014 lays out elements of a possible 'grand bargain' with Congress. At the same time, it speaks to his policy priorities.
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Tax VOX Now is the time to fix Social Security
Most Social Security experts, no matter their political persuasion, know that Social Security must be redesigned, Gleckman writes. With President Obama proposing to change the way government adjusts Social Security benefits, why not redesign it now?
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Entitlement reform takes step toward reality in new Obama budget
President Obama will unveil a budget Wednesday that includes reforms to entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare. The budget probably won't pass, but it points to a shift in the debate.
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Obama budget plan would cut deficits – but enough?
A sketch of President Obama's new budget proposal shows a modest amount of deficit reduction, but some experts say more is needed to set the US on a stable economic path.
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