Bill Clinton: “To preserve Medicare for all of our grandchildren we do have to strengthen the Medicare trust fund, which holds the…”

“To preserve Medicare for all of our grandchildren we do have to strengthen the Medicare trust fund, which holds the money we all pay in to cover hospital, nursing homes, and home health bills. I've been working to reform Medicare since I took office, and frankly, the trust fund is in better shape than it was when I did take office. But real reform is about making the situation better, not worse. Real reform means fixing the trust fund without putting beneficiaries in a fix. I also believe we have to balance the budget. But I know we can do that and strengthen the trust fund without rolling back 30 years of progress against poverty and fear for older Americans. That's what my balanced budget will do. It will eliminate the deficit, secure the Medicare trust fund, and still protect older Americans from one penny in new Medicare costs. Times are tough enough without forcing families to pay more to keep the health care they have right now. The congressional majority sees it differently. They are now willing to join me in shoring up the trust fund, but they want to do it in a way I don't agree with, that goes way too far, because they insist on such a huge tax cut that also make older couples pay $5,600 more out of their pockets over the next few years. For people who don't have that kind of money, the message will be simple: Fend for yourselves. Many people just won't be able to do it. As I said before, we often take for granted the security that comes from Medicare. But according to a new study by the Department of Health and Human Services, the congressional majority would push 500,000--a half a million--older Americans into poverty by increasing the cost of health care. And these cuts would force their families to make choices between generations that no family should have to make. We do need to protect Medicare from going bankrupt, but we don't have to bankrupt older Americans to do it. None of the cuts driving families into poverty would go into the trust fund. They would simply pay for a huge tax cut for people who don't really need it. That's unnecessary, and it's wrong. Medicare is too important to all families to become a piggy bank for tax cuts for just a few. It's especially important today because so many families are working harder and earning the same or less than they did 10 years ago. For all Americans, Medicare must remain a source of certainty and security. For our parents, but also for our children, I pledge to do my part to keep Medicare strong. Thanks for listening.”