WASHINGTON -- Warning to the wealthy: The cash-strapped federal government is targeting you.

Having already gone after people with higher incomes through the federal tax code and the Social Security system, the government next year will begin charging wealthier seniors more for doctors' care under Medicare.

The Bush administration, members of Congress and outside experts are all looking at other ways to raise new revenue from the rich.

If taxes must be raised or benefits cut, "you have to ask the question, who should pay the price?" says Robert Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a fiscal watchdog group.

The answer, according to many Democrats and Republicans, is those with greater ability to pay. Democrats generally are in favor of higher taxes, such as eliminating President Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers. Republicans are more likely to favor raising the price for government benefits, such as Medicare and Social Security...

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