“The Trump administration is poised to kick off a major partisan feud over Medicaid in 2020, as officials are reportedly planning to soon introduce a way for states to block grant Medicaid money.”
“The guidance, which The Wall Street Journal said could be released as early as this month, will test the Trump administration’s ability to allow states the flexibility to make drastic changes to Medicaid.”
“Imposing block grants in Medicaid has long been a major conservative goal, and with time running down in President Trump’s first term the administration is facing pressure to come up with health care victories, even though some argue the policy may not be legal without congressional approval…”
“A block grant would transform Medicaid from an open-ended entitlement program into one with capped benefits. Currently, the federal government matches a certain percentage of state spending, and the funding is open-ended. In exchange, states agree to cover specific services and specific types of recipients.”
“Under a block grant, states would receive a fixed amount of money from the federal government, regardless of outside circumstances, that they could spend however they see fit…” Read the full article here.
Source: Trump poised to kick off election-year fight over Medicaid – By Nathaniel Weixel, January 22, 2020. The Hill.
