Whats the best prescription for Medicare ills?
June 5, 1996 Web posted at: 12:00 p.m. EDT WASHINGTON (CNN) — Not everyone was concerned Wednesday about the impending announcement by Medicare trustees that the program’s hospital fund is going broke faster than previously thought. Daniel Shulder with the National Council of Senior Citizens told CNN that Medicare is “not in a crisis.” He said the federal health-care program for the elderly is a system of checks and balances where changes are expected. “The fact that we have to do something within the next year or so to ensure that nothing goes bad in the year 2001 or 2002 is expected,” Shulder said. “We will do that, but we are not going to do it by slashing benefits.” Last year, Medicare trustees predicted bankruptcy by 2002. But new projections show expenses will exceed revenues one year earlier. Medicare serves about 37 million people, and costs taxpayers an estimated $200 billion a year. Medicare and Social Security account for 34 percent of the current federal budget — up 20 pe
