Rubio' repeats GOP calls for overhauling Medicare, other entitlement programs

During his televised speech responding to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., also criticized the health law.

Los Angeles Times: Rubio Responds To President's Speech With Familiar GOP Themes
Rubio, speaking from the Capitol, repeated GOP calls for a constitutional balanced-budget amendment and an overhaul of the Medicare and Social Security programs, though he provided no specifics. "Anyone who is in favor of leaving Medicare exactly the way it is right now is in favor of bankrupting it," Rubio said (Barabak, 2/12).

The Hill: Rubio Plugs GOP Medicare Plan
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) criticized President Obama's healthcare law and plugged Republicans' controversial Medicare plan during his response to the State of the Union on Tuesday. Rubio said current seniors should be held harmless from any Medicare overhaul, but said the program is on an unsustainable fiscal path (Baker, 2/12).

CNN: Rubio Says Obamacare Needs A Check Up
Sen. Marco Rubio took President Barack Obama to task on the issue of health care during the Republican response to the State of the Union. The Claim: "Obamacare was supposed to help middle-class Americans afford health insurance. But now, some people are losing the health insurance they were happy with. And because Obamacare created expensive requirements for companies with more than 50 employees, now many of these businesses aren't hiring. Not only that; they're being forced to lay people off and switch from full-time employees to part-time workers" (Hellerman, 2/13).