Hillary Clinton Puts Republicans on Spot on Looming Entitlement Threat

Hillary Rodham Clinton is calling for a quick solution to a looming crisis for those on Social Security who won’t see a cost-of-living increase in their benefits — but could see a rise in their Medicare premiums through a glitch in federal law.

And she is pressing the Republican presidential candidates to speak out on the matter.

“I am deeply concerned by how this could harm Medicare beneficiaries,” Mrs. Clinton said in a statement. “This is outrageous and senseless, and Congress must act to fix the law. I support efforts by the Obama administration and Democratic leaders in Congress to try to resolve this quickly. At a time when out-of-pocket medical costs are already rising, we cannot afford to let Republican obstructionism pile additional costs on our seniors. I urge the Republican candidates for president to call on their congressional majority to end the games and protect our seniors.”

The statement from Mrs. Clinton came as the Obama administration is urging Congress to adjust the increase in health insurance premium increases, which could affect almost a third of Medicare beneficiaries. Discussions taking place among leaders in Congress to resolve the problem, but there is a concern that House Republicans may not be persuaded to address it.

Some Republican candidates, like Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, have called for reforming entitlements like Social Security and Medicare to rein in costs over the longer term, so the dispute could put them in a delicate position as millions of Americans face potentially higher Medicare premiums in the short term.

More than 60 million people are on Social Security. At issue is those who are living on fixed incomes facing two new, simultaneous financial constraints: Social Security payments that won’t rise as Medicare premiums go up.

Roughly 70 percent of Medicare recipients won’t see higher premiums. But the rest could see increases. And at a moment when Congress is essentially frozen amid a leadership meltdown among House Republicans, it is unclear whether Congress can agree on a remedy.

It’s the latest example of Mrs. Clinton grabbing on to an issue in the headlines that is affecting seniors or the working class as she seeks to run a forward-looking campaign and move past a difficult summer.