On '60 Minutes,' Romney and Ryan defend Medicare plan

The GOP presumptive presidential nominee and his choice for a running mate also went on the offensive by criticizing the Obama administration for cutting Medicare spending. 

CBS News: "60 Minutes": Romney, Ryan Answer Critics Of Medicare Position
Romney answered critics who say Ryan's Medicare plan will hurt the ticket's chances, especially in Florida. "There's only one president that I know of in history that robbed Medicare, $716 billion to pay for a new risky program of his own that we call Obamacare," Romney said. ... Ryan added, "My mom is a Medicare senior in Florida. Our point is we need to preserve their benefits, because government made promises to them that they've organized their retirements around. In order to make sure we can do that, you must reform it for those of us who are younger. And we think these reforms are good reforms. That have bipartisan origins. They started from the Clinton commission in the late '90s" (Delargy, 8/12). CBS also posted a text of the interview.

USA Today: Romney, Ryan Defend Medicare Plan On '60 Minutes'
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan defended their stance on Medicare, saying Ryan's plan to overhaul the health insurance program for seniors won't hurt them in Florida. ... "What Paul Ryan and I have talked about is saving Medicare, is providing people greater choice in Medicare, making sure it's there for current seniors," Romney said, according to the 60 Minutes excerpts. Romney said the plan would not make any changes for seniors currently enrolled in the government-run health insurance program. "But looking for young people down the road and saying, 'We're going to give you a bigger choice' " (Camia, 8/12).

The Hill: Romney Defends Ryan, Says Obama 'Robbed' Medicare To Fund Health Reform
GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Sunday came to the defense of his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan's proposals to reform Medicare, denying they would gut the program, as Democrats allege. "There's only one president that I know of in history that robbed Medicare, $716 billion to pay for a new risky program of his own that we call 'ObamaCare,'" said Romney hitting back at President Obama in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" scheduled to air Sunday night (Mali, 8/12).