Senate Democrats warns against raiding Medicare trust fund

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Criticizing President Bush's proposed tax cut by focusing on a politically powerful constituency, several Senate Democrats suggested Thursday the administration's priorities could lead to a raid on the Medicare trust fund.

The senators -- led by Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Bob Graham of Florida and Mark Dayton of Minnesota -- continued a theme raised by Families USA, a patient advocacy group.

The senators and the advocacy groups said meeting the president's tax cut would require taking $526 billion from the Medicare trust fund. In a report released last month, Families USA said raiding the trust would cause Medicare to be insolvent by 2010, instead of 2025 under current estimates.

Medicare is the government health insurance program for America's senior citizens.

"These dollars, which rightly belong to some of our nation's most vulnerable citizens, have themselves become vulnerable to a sneak attack," Graham said. "If building an iron wall around these funds is what it takes to protect them, then we must build that wall."

Graham was planning to introduce an amendment late Thursday to prevent Congress from taking the funds out of the trust.

The part of Medicare at issue covers hospital stays, skilled nursing, home health care and other services needed by the elderly.

"Seniors need prescription drug coverage now." Stabenow said. "The president says use all of the on-budget surplus for tax cut geared towards the wealthiest Americans. And then, because there's nothing left, he takes the Medicare trust fund and moves it over and spends it, all of it, and calls it a contingency fund. This is serious. This is serious for the future of our country."

"Reducing the proposed tax cut," said Max Richtman, executive vice president of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security, "is the best way to preserve Medicare beneficiaries with a universal, voluntary, comprehensive and affordable prescription drug benefit under Medicare, without harming the long-term solvency of the program."

See related sites about Politics

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.