Long-term care providers will be giving the Republican national convention in Tampa more scrutiny than usual next week.That’s when the party’s leaders give Medicare higher importance than usual. With the choice of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) as his running mate earlier this month, presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his advisors all but guaranteed that Medicare will be more prominently mentioned in discussions and party platform building. As a House leader, Ryan led a defiant charge against Obama administration policies to overhaul the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs. Many analysts believe the Medicare issue will play a pivotal role in at least a handful of key states in this November’s election.