Medicare

WASHINGTON - With no margin for rebellion, Senate Democratic leaders pushed ahead Friday toward a crucial weekend test vote on their sweeping health care bill amid indications the rank-and-file would stand together on President Barack Obama's signature issue.

A look at key issues in the health care debate: THE ISSUE: What can the government do to get doctors and hospitals to deliver cheaper medical services? THE POLITICS: Medicare's fee-for-service structure means that doctors, hospitals and other providers have a greater financial incentive to provide large quantities of medical services than to provide high-quality medical services.

WASHINGTON - Digging in for a long struggle, Republican senators and governors assailed the Democrats' newly minted health care legislation Thursday as a collection of tax increases, Medicare cuts and heavy new burdens for deficit-ridden states.

WASHINGTON - The Democratic-controlled House voted Tuesday to add more than $200 billion to the deficit to prevent steep Medicare payment cuts to doctors, a move Republicans denounced as a political payoff.

WASHINGTON - Congressional budget crunchers said Thurday the Democrats' latest health care plan would hold down federal red ink for at least 20 years, an assessment that gave supporters hope as the Senate moved gingerly toward a historic debate.