Cantor's office: Medicare not dropped from budget talks

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's (R-Va.) office late Wednesday pushed back on a report that Republicans had dropped Medicare reform from their budget proposal.

The Washington Post sent out a breaking news alert titled "Medicare dropped from GOP budget proposal" after 9 p.m. Wednesday, citing senior Republicans in Congress. But Cantor's office pointed out that the Post changed the story's headline to "Budget talks: Republicans offer to seek common ground with Democrats."

"To be clear, the Republican position is the Ryan budget, period," spokeswoman Laena Fallon said in an email to reporters.

The story came on the eve of the opening of Vice President Joe Biden's deficit-reduction talks with leaders from both parties and both chambers of Congress. Cantor will represent the House GOP at the talks, which begin at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Ryan's budget plan, which the House passed last month, proposes drastic changes to Medicare that include turning it into a "premium support" system for future beneficiaries that will keep the program solvent.

Democrats are staunchly opposed to the plan, saying it would turn Medicare into a private voucher system that would deprive seniors of a key social safety net.

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