Medicare Funding Links

Medicare represents the bulk of unfunded debt not accounted for in the U.S. Federal Budget.
Which means that there will come a time, in a not so far away future, when U.S. citizens not only will probably have reduced Social Security benefits, but also will not be able to rely on the health benefits that they were promised, and that they paid for during all their working lives.
This will be a harsh reality for the younger part of the present times U.S. population, if they ever intend to retire. There are already talks about raising the retirement age.

National Center for Policy Analysis, 2004 report:
Future Medicare needs unfunded by $62 Trillion.
http://www.ncpa.org/prs/rel/2004/20040604bnr.htm

Howstuff works: the Medicare Trust Fund is harder to manage than the Social Security Trust Fund, because expenses are harder to predict. Medicare expenses amount to about 13% of the total Federal Budget.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicare4.htm

A site explaining the source of funding for Medicare:
http://www.ehealthlink.com/Senior/MedicareFunding.asp

Raising the Retirement Age (Economic Policy Institute):
http://www.epinet.org/content.cfm/briefingpapers_raisingretirement_raisi...