Is Medicare age hike off the table?

[Pirate Smile]

* Is Medicare age hike off the table? The latest in the fiscal cliff talks: Boehner is offering tax hikes on income of $1 million and up, in exchange for $600 billion in savings from health care programs and $600 billion in other spending cuts (which still remain unspecified). This nugget from the New York Times’ account is key:

officials said that Mr. Boehner was willing to drop discussions of an immediate increase in the eligibility age for Medicare, to 67 from 65, recognizing the fierce opposition to that change among Democrats.

I have not been able to confirm this with either side, but if it’s true, it’s very significant.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2012/12/17/the-morning-plum-is-god-guns-and-gays-losing-its-peril-for-democrats/