On Medicare spending, a role reversal

After years of trying to cut Medicare spending, Republican lawmakers are now championing the program, accusing Democrats of trying to steal from the elderly to cover the cost of health reform. The hospital associations, AARP, and other powerful interest groups that usually oppose Medicare cuts have also switched sides. Last week, they stood silent as the Senate Finance Committee debated a plan to slice more than $400 billion over the next decade from Medicare, notes this article from the Washington Post.