Debt Ceiling Fight Looms Over Medicare, Medicaid

Axios | Peter Sullivan
 
House Republicans don't have much of a path to get major health care changes passed with a Democratic Senate and president, with one possible exception: the debt ceiling fight. 
 
Why it matters: It's not clear which spending cuts House Republicans will push for in exchange for expanding the government's borrowing authority later this year — but at least some say health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid should be on the table. 

• Others, mindful of how the mere talk of entitlement cuts has brought political repercussions, are saying they want to steer clear of the programs. 

What they're saying: "We're going to have to look at the whole board," conservative Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) told Axios, including mandatory spending like Medicare and Medicaid. "The easiest to start with is discretionary, but the main driver of the national debt is the mandatory."

• "Everything's on the table," he added. 
• Asked about entitlement reform, Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters Thursday that "as Republicans we will always protect Medicare and Social Security," but did not get into specifics. (He also did not mention Medicaid).
• "We will protect that for the next generation going forward, but we are going to scrutinize every single dollar spent," he added. 

What to watch: Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), a Freedom Caucus member who is also on the Energy and Commerce Committee, said any changes to Medicare would not take place immediately.

• "Anytime we talk about those cuts people always panic," he told Axios. "Nobody needs to panic. If we're going to do something, it will be out in the future years a long way out and people will understand it and will have time to adjust for it."
• He cited the possibility of raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 as one possible change, while keeping it lower for people who had careers doing manual labor and have trouble continuing to work later in life. 

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