The next healthcare battle: Cutting Medicare Advantage

President Obama, struggling to discredit bogus charges against his healthcare overhaul, soon could face another obstacle due to a plan to trim the federal subsidy for a program used by nearly a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries. The Medicare Advantage program pays insurance companies a hefty premium to enroll senior citizens and provide their medical services through managed-care networks. But whether the higher payments are worth it is a matter of dispute, according to this article in the Los Angeles Times.