Entitlements: Obama's Policy Positions—PICTURES

MEDICARE: The Affordable Care Act retains the entitlement structure of Medicare but tinkers with the ways the program pays doctors, hospitals, and other providers. (SUSAN WALSH/AP)

MEDICAID: Obama’s health care law is set to dramatically increase the size of the federal-state Medicaid program in 2014, extending eligibility nationwide to all individuals and families earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty limit, or about $29,000 for a family of four. (DAVID KARP/AP)

SOCIAL SECURITY: The president has been vague about his plans for Social Security but has said he will not cut benefits for current retirees or “slash” them for future beneficiaries. (SUSAN WALSH/AP)

FOOD STAMPS: Obama defends the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and criticizes proposals to cut subsidies or convert the program into a block grant for states. During his presidency, the number of Americans relying on food stamps has ballooned as incomes have fallen during the economic downturn. (PAUL BEATY/AP)