As Atrios would say . . .

Oy.

Gregg Sees Medicare, Medicaid Cuts as Only Way to Resolve Deficit Problem
January 14, 2005—Judd Gregg, the incoming Senate Budget Committee chairman, took the job in large part because he wanted to tackle the burgeoning cost of entitlement programs including Medicare and Medicaid, something that he views as the only way to bring long-term budget deficits under control.

In a series of media interviews last week, Gregg talked a tough game on the budget, putting entitlement savings on the table as lawmakers contemplate the first serious attempt since 1997 to bundle savings from mandatory programs into a budget reconciliation bill aimed at curbing the deficit.

"I don't think you can effectively address federal spending unless you address entitlement spending," Gregg, R-N.H., said in an interview with Congressional Quarterly on Jan. 11.

As it turns out, however, GOP budget writers are likely to largely leave alone the Medicare health care program for the elderly, according to Gregg and senior congressional aides in both parties. Instead, they are likely to tap the Medicaid health care program for the poor for savings.

From the Commonwealth Fund. Link here