Lieberman, Coburn Unveil Medicare Plan ('something for just about everyone to dislike')

[Purveyor]

Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) acknowledged that there's something in their Medicare plan for just about everyone to dislike. But they say it's necessary to bring the program under control.

"Nobody's going to like this plan. We understand that," Coburn said at a press conference Tuesday as he and Lieberman rolled out their proposal.

Most of the plan's savings would come from some form of benefit reductions or cost-shifting to seniors — a stark contrast to the Medicare cuts believed to be on the table in talks over the debt ceiling. Negotiators there are looking at cuts to healthcare industries after Democrats drew a line in the sand over benefit cuts.

But Lieberman and Coburn's proposal includes several politically risky benefit changes, such as making seniors pay more for their prescription drugs. It also would raise the eligibility age for Medicare.

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http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/medicare/168813-lieberman-coburn-unveil-medicare-plan