Political Quotes

“the 1995 annual reports of the trustees on the status of the two Medicare trust funds, released on April 3, 1995, raise serious concerns about future financial viability of the Medicare Program. The trustees conclude that the Federal hospital insurance trust fund--called Medicare part A: First, has taken in less in Medicare payroll taxes than it has paid out in Medicare benefits every year since 1992; Second, starts having to liquidate assets next year, 1996; and Third, will run out of money by the year 2002. The status of the supplemental medical insurance trust fund--called Medicare part B--is not much better. The trustees ``note with great concern the past and projected rapid growth in the cost of the program.'' Four Cabinet members of this administration are trustees of the Medicare trust funds--the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. These Cabinet members all signed the 1995 trustee report, agreeing with the conclusions that the Medicare trust fund is in serious financial trouble. But this administration refuses to become engaged in proposing any solutions.”