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Medicare turned 46 this past weekend, at the same time cuts to the program were being advocated in Washington and by no shortage of political pundits. The House approved the debt ceiling-deficit reduction deal struck over the weekend, by a vote of 269 to 161 yesterday. The Senate is expected to pass it today. Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will see no cuts up-front. However a bi-partisan deficit committee must recommend a plan to reduce the deficit by about $1.5 trillion, and all programs appear to be on the table. Medicare is relatively young. If it was a person, it wouldn’t be old enough to receive the government-run coverage – that comes automatically at age 65, and younger for some people with disabilities. It was established in 1965 under President Lyndon B. Johnson, who issued the first Medicare card at a signing ceremony to former President Harry Truman. The program is paid for by payroll taxes, and even though only two generations of Americans have benefited from it, Medicare is considered a right by the nation’s seniors. This became apparent during the contentious 2009-2010 health care reform debates and town halls around the country. “Keep your government hands off my Medicare” became a misguided rallying cry by the nation’s conservative elderly, revealing their ignorance of who administered their beloved benefits. In April of this year, GOP Chairman of the House Budget Committee Paul Ryan proposed a federal budget plan that included deep cuts to the program. He and his colleagues were promptly heckled at public appearances by angry Seniors, and the party quickly tabled the plan. Medicare is under attack again, this time spearheaded by President Obama during the protracted debt ceiling battle.

GUEST: Dr. Paul Song, a practicing radiation oncologist and member of Physicians for a National Health Program.

Find out more at www.pnhp.org.