Democrats plan attack on GOP Medicare plan

The Wall Street Journal reports the Obama campaign will offer counter arguments to Republican proposals to revamp Medicare at the Democrats' convention next week.

The Wall Street Journal: Democrats Return Fire Quickly On Medicare
The Obama campaign plans a counterattack against Republican proposals to overhaul Medicare, with the aim of showing at next week's Democratic convention that the president's plan offers more economic security for Americans. At their convention in Tampa this week, Republicans have thrust Medicare into the heart of the presidential campaign by trumpeting a plan to shift Medicare beneficiaries to private insurance plans. Democrats on Thursday seized on Republican vice-presidential nominee Paul Ryan's prime-time speech, saying that his approach to Medicare would leave the elderly high and dry (Radnofsky, Meckler and Nicholas, 8/30).

Reuters: Medicare's Political Importance Goes Beyond Seniors
The Medicare debate promises to be front and center in this fall's presidential campaign, as not just seniors but aging baby boomers focus on retiree healthcare. Recent polling data shows that the issue resonates with boomers in key swing states (Morgan, 8/31).

Meanwhile, the Romney campaign is looking for doctors to help get out its message on health care.

Medpage Today: Goals Vary For Doctors At RNC
Physicians attending the Republican National Convention here are working to get various healthcare messages -- mostly related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) -- across to convention delegates. "Our assignment has been to reach out to other physicians around the country who think that Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, is not really in our best interest or in the best interest of patients," said Greggory DeVore, MD, a Los Angeles ob/gyn and convention delegate who is national co-chair of Physicians for Romney Victory, a physician group supporting Mitt Romney's presidential campaign (Frieden, 8/30).

Medpage Today: New GOP Campaign Targets Doctors
Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is making a push for physician donors, telling them they could have a bigger voice in health reform if the party is elected in November. The campaign's Physicians for Romney Victory, established in recent weeks, is targeting doctors who are against the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The law wasn't crafted with physician input, national co-chair Greggory DeVore, MD, toldMedPage Today. Although the American Medical Association and other groups supported passage of the law, less than 20% of physicians in this country are AMA members, he said (Pittman, 8/30).