The Politics of Medicare and Medicaid

One of the significant challenges for Medicare and Medicaid is not necessarily the implementation of the program but the influence of the political climate in regard to both the financial support and control of the programs.

For this Dropbox Assignment, choose two articles related to the politics of Medicare and Medicaid from the list below. The articles can also be found in the South University Online Library.

• Aaron, H. J., & Butler, S. (2008). A federalist approach to health reform:
             The worst way, except for all the others. Health Affairs, 27(3),
             725–735.
• Kaiser Family Foundation. (2011). Federal core requirements and state
             options in Medicaid: Current policies and key issues. Retrieved
             from http://www.kff.org/medicaid/upload/8174.pdf
• Kronick, R., & Gilmer, T. (2012). Medicare and Medicaid spending variations
             are strongly linked within hospital regions but not at overall state level.
             Health Affairs, 31(5), 948–955.
• Kronick, R., & Rousseau, D. (2007). Is Medicaid sustainable? Spending
             projections for the program’s second forty years. Health Affairs,
              26(6), 271–287.
• Mann, C. (2003). The flexibility factor: Finding the right balance. Health
             Affairs, 22(1), 62–76.
• Weil, A., & Scheppach, R. (2010). New roles for states in health reform
             implementation. Health Affairs, 29(6), 1178–1182.

Choose an issue mentioned in these articles pertaining to the politics of Medicare or Medicaid. Use the following as a guide to develop a report on the selected issue:

• Explain the main points of the articles.
• Explain in detail the issue as it pertains to the politics of Medicare or Medicaid.
• Discuss the impact of the issue relative to the provisions for services to Medicare or Medicaid recipients.

In a Microsoft Word document, create a 2- to 3-page report on your analysis of the selected issue.

Support your responses with examples.

Cite any sources in APA format.