Rep. Buchanan: No on 'Cuts' for Healthcare Entitlements
The Republican chair of a key House subcommittee said he's not for "cuts" in healthcare entitlements while seeking savings.
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., chair of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, said GOP lawmakers will certainly try to erase fraudulent spending in Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid.
"I'm for all of that because what we're doing now isn't working," Buchanan said of finding entitlement savings during an interview at Politico's Health Care Summit on Wednesday.
"Our interest on the debt's a trillion dollars a year, so you got to take the first trillion of taxpayer money and pay the interest on the debt. It's gotta change, but we've got to find a way to do that where we're more efficient on delivering these systems."
Buchanan added that there's "always been a feeling" among Republicans and Democrats that there's been roughly 10% fraud or mismanagement in Medicare.