In the wake of Obama's budget, signs of optimism and discontent

National Journal: Changing Sides On Medicare And Social Security Is A Time-Honored Tactic
Republican Rep. Greg Walden's description of the White House budget as "a shocking attack on seniors" has set off another round of who's on first. It's been hard to keep track of which party has the political advantage on Medicare and Social Security, and harder still to figure out where the GOP really stands. Walden, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, set out on his own path this week by going after President Obama's past Medicare cuts and a new spending blueprint that would charge wealthy people more for Medicare and reduce cost-of-living increases for future Social Security recipients by using a less-generous formula called "chained CPI" (Lawrence, 4/11).

The Hill: Sebelius Heads To Capitol Hill
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will head to Capitol Hill on Friday to defend her department's budget request - including $1.5 billion for exchanges that Congress is unlikely to provide. Sebelius is slated to testify before the Ways and Means Committee. It's the first time Sebelius has gone before lawmakers since acknowledging that some people will see their premiums rise because of the healthcare law - an admission that could provide fodder for Republican critics (Baker and Viebeck, 4/11).

CQ HealthBeat: GOP Lawmakers Propose Medicare Mixes
House Energy and Commerce Republicans on Thursday proposed seven ideas for modernizing and changing Medicare, several of which have been offered by members of both parties, economists and health care stakeholders. Although the ideas are not meant to constitute a comprehensive Medicare overhaul, the lawmakers said the "measured, short-term steps" could help improve the program (Ethridge, 4/12).