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Federal officials are urging Maryland and its powerful health industry to build on the state's unique hospital rate-setting system to develop sweeping cost controls that could be used as a model for other states.
Romney's selection of Ryan as his running mate has energized Democratic faithful in many congressional districts with large numbers of seniors.
The fraud squads who look for scams in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs have some new weapons: tools and funding provided by the health law.
As the political campaigns tussle over how to handle the program, KHN examines the ongoing debate.
The state sets the largest financial incentive program in the country, tying about 10 percent of reimbursements to facilities' meeting quality standards.
The 2010 health law directs the health program for seniors to create an incentive pay program for nursing homes.
KHN's Mary Agnes Carey and Marilyn Werber Serafini discuss how Medicare reforms could figure into November's presidential election now that presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney has chosen Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to be his running mate.
Too many patients are returning to the hospital soon after being discharged, a costly problem the government is tackling.
The Republican-controlled House, along party lines, twice approved Ryan's proposals to overhaul the popular program by giving beneficiaries a set amount of money every year to buy coverage from competing health plans. That is a fundamental shift from today's program, where the federal government must help pay for every doctor visit and medical service that an individual uses.
The government is testing new hospital payment rules to see if fewer beneficiaries will be classified as observation patients, which can be a costly designation for seniors.
Medicare data show little improvement in curbing the number of beneficiaries who are readmitted despite threats of financial penalties to hospitals.
If the Supreme Court strikes down the health law, 49 million Medicare beneficiaries could lose a variety of benefits that have already kicked in.
If the Supreme Court strikes down the health law, New York would be in a somewhat unique position, according to David Abernethy, a senior vice president of EmblemHealth.
Even if the Supreme Court overturns the law, Chris DeMars, a senior program officer at Oregon's Northwest Health Foundation, expects the state to move forward with insurance exchanges and an effort to coordinate care.
David Nexon, a top health care adviser to the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, says that no matter what, tremendous pressure to reduce spending will continue to push lawmakers to find ways to control health care costs.
The pharmaceutical industry agreed in the health debate to reduce brand-name drug costs by 50 percent for Medicare beneficiaries who reach the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole.
Murray Ross, a vice president in the part of the company that sells health plans, says the law's individual mandate is needed to attract healthier participants, which balances risks and costs.
Andy Allison, Arkansas Medicaid director and president of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, is adamant that cash-strapped states won't be able to do much to expand coverage to the uninsured if the Supreme Court strikes down the law.
Michigan Medicaid Director Steve Fitton believes it will be a "struggle" for his state to be ready to implement the health law on schedule if the Supreme Court upholds the measure. But he's confident that Michigan can handle the expected new enrollees in Medicaid.
Former CMS administrator Thomas Scully urges both parties to take a second look at the premium support model for overhauling Medicare.
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