White House: Obama Opposes Higher Age For Medicare

The White House says President Barack Obama opposes raising the eligibility age for Medicare, an idea he once was willing to consider in budget negotiations with House Speaker John Boehner.

White House press secretary Jay Carney on Monday said Obama "has made clear that we don't believe that that's the right policy to take."

Obama in the summer of 2011 was open to raising the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67 over time as part of a large deficit reduction package. But he has since backed off, and Carney's remarks Monday were meant to end any speculation.

Carney, however, said Obama would still consider a formula for lower cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security beneficiaries if Republicans also agreed to reduce some of the deficit with tax revenue.

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