GOP sets sights on Medicare, Medicaid

Just before tax-reform victory in December, House GOP leaders said their next target would be “entitlement reform” that trims outlays for the Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security programs.

That could mean more major funding fights for long-term care and other providers in 2018.

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) told a Denver radio talk show host the goal is to “tackle the debt and the de cit.” Medicare and Medicaid are “the big drivers of debt,” with Medicare the “biggest entitlement that’s got to have reform” in the coming year.

Although President Trump campaigned that he wouldn’t pursue entitlement program cuts, Ryan said “the president is understanding choice and competition works everywhere, especially in Medicare.” Earlier, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) said that lawmakers will address“welfare reform.”