At its current cost trajectory, the Medicare trust fund will run out of money by 2024. Social Security's trust fund will be exhausted by 2033. And by 2022, these two programs could account for well over half of federal spending.
As it becomes clear the President Obama is making Medicare a key topic for discussion within the broader context of federal spending, Democrats and Republicans have an opportunity to pursue common-sense reforms that preserve the program while achieving bipartisan support for fixing what isn't working.
