Romney, Ryan blast Obama on Medicare, health law

But the Los Angeles Times checks some of their claims against President Barack Obama. In addition, Obama makes an apparance in the White House press room to answer questions and draw distinctions between himself and his GOP opponents.

Los Angeles Times: Romney And Ryan Campaign Together In New Hampshire
Romney's running mate Paul Ryan demonstrated anew that for both campaigns, fact-checkers are merely annoyances to brush past. … What Ryan left out, as Romney does when he attacks Obama on Medicare, is that none of Obama's Medicare cuts affect the benefits received by elderly and disabled patients covered by the popular healthcare program. Instead, the savings come mainly from reducing the government reimbursement rates paid to hospitals and other care providers. On a day when Romney and his running mate stressed their pledge to balance the federal budget, Ryan also skirted the impact that restoration of the Medicare cuts would have on the Republican fiscal plan that he wrote, which the Republican-controlled House passed in April (Finnegan and Landsberg, 8/20).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: The Race: Romney And GOP Running Mate Ryan Criticize Obama On Medicare At New Hampshire Rally
Both criticized President Barack Obama's plan to trim payments to Medicare providers, even though part of that plan had previously been endorsed by Ryan as chairman of the House Budget Committee (8/20).

Politico Pro: Ryan Puts 'Rationing Board' In The Crosshairs
Paul Ryan's appearance on the Republican ticket doesn't just bring his Medicare overhaul plan to center stage. It also shines a brighter light on a new Medicare panel in President Barack Obama's health law that Republicans say would "deny" or "ration" health care. Ryan's attacks on the health law's Independent Payment Advisory Board -; a centerpiece of his campaign event with Mitt Romney in Manchester, N. H., Monday -; are ripped from the pages of the playbook Republicans used during the health reform debate. … Ryan has long been one of the harshest -; and most vocal -; critics of the new board. It's a panel that will be tasked with controlling future Medicare growth, and that duty will require rationing health care, Ryan says (Haberkorn and Gibson, 8/21).

The Wall Street Journal: Ryan, Democrats Couldn't Seal Deals
In seeking solutions to America's yawning budget deficits, Rep. Paul Ryan has walked to the altar several times with Democrats, but always seems to stop before saying "I do." The talks, which have focused heavily on Medicare, the health-care program for seniors, advanced further with Mr. Ryan than many expected, according to interviews with Democrats and Republicans who worked with him. Mr. Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican and now vice-presidential candidate, crafted proposals that incorporated ideas from his more liberal colleagues. But each time, either the discussions fell apart before both sides could reach a final agreement (Paletta, 8/20).

The Boston Globe: Romney, Ryan Blast Obama's Health Care Law
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, campaigning in a state with a median age higher than Florida's, criticized President Obama on Monday morning for his health care law and said the Republican ticket would be more likely to put Medicare on sounder financial footing. ... It was their first town hall meeting where voters could ask questions since Romney named Ryan as his running mate nine days ago. But little went awry and there were no questions about the insensitive remarks on rape by a GOP candidate for Senate in Missouri that have put some Republicans on the defensive (Viser, 8/20).

The Associated Press: Obama Defends Tenor Of His Campaign, Slams Romney
Denounced by his Republican rival for divisiveness, President Barack Obama on Monday defended the tone of his campaign in a combative election year and insisted it's actually Mitt Romney's ads that are "patently false." But Obama did distance himself from a particularly provocative negative ad by a political group that supports him (Babington and Kuhnhenn, 8/20).

Meanwhile, voters in other states are weighing the Medicare issue.

Health Policy Solutions (a Colo. news service): Medicare Top Issue For Surge Of Older Voters In Colorado
As Medicare has leapt into the top-tier of issues that will decide the presidential contest, Colorado's population of older adults is ballooning. Colorado now boasts the fourth fastest-increasing population of seniors in the country and these aging baby boomers -- who vote in large numbers -; could help drive election results in key swing counties of this crucial swing state. Mitt Romney's pick of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, for his running mate has put Medicare at the center of the national debate (Kerwin McCrimmon, 8/20).

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This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.