Bernanke: entitlement spending may hit rates, growth

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rising spending on U.S. Social Security and Medicare programs, if unchecked, will inflate national debt and the budget defect, ultimately affecting interest rates and economic growth, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Monday.

"There are limits to how big the deficit and the debt can be. Soon it will begin to have effects on interest rates, it will have effects on economic growth, and on stability, so ... it's not just balancing the federal budget, it's really a much broader question of the stability and strength of our economy over a longer period of time," Bernanke said in response to questions at a health care event on Capitol Hill.

(Reporting by Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Theodore d'Afflisio)