Obama rules out raising Medicare eligibility age to cut spending

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama has ruled out raising the age that Americans become eligible for Medicare, the government health insurance program for seniors, as a way to reduce the government's deficit, a White House spokesman said on Monday. Republicans in Congress, who have focused on cutting spending, have said they want to see the eligibility age raised to 67 from the current age of 65, but many Democrats have opposed the idea vehemently. "The president's made clear that we don't believe that that's the right policy to take," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. …