The White House released President Biden's $6.8 trillion proposed budget last week, listing his priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Among other things, Biden singled out Medicare — the federal health insurance program for people aged 65 or older. Republican leaders insist they won't be threatening cuts to Medicare in upcoming budget negotiations, but others in the party have floated the idea of making changes over time to the program — including benefit cuts they say will be necessary to keep Medicare solvent.
NPR's Michel Martin, as co-host of All Things Considered, sat down this week with veteran health care journalist Julie Rovner, of Kaiser Health News, to get a better sense of where the debate is headed over how to fund Medicare, an expensive, but popular program. The following excerpt of their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
