Medicaid Expansion Might Continue With Key Changes But States May Have Higher Spending
Many experts expect Republicans to seek a change from traditional Medicaid to give states more control of the program, and some say it will be hard to scale back the expansion.
Modern Healthcare:
Medicaid Expansion Could Continue Under Trump
[E]xperts say there could be a greater push to go away from a traditional Medicaid expansion to one that includes more conservative provisions such as a work requirement, or the ability to lockout people below the poverty level that don't pay premiums. There is already evidence of this, with Arkansas' Gov. Asa Hutchinson saying Wednesday morning that he will approach the Trump administration to impose a work or work search requirement to be eligible for Medicaid. HHS under the Obama administration had denied the request. HHS under a Trump administration is more likely to embrace conservative expansion waivers, such as the one adopted in Indiana under governor and now Vice President-elect Mike Pence. (Dickson, 11/9)
CNBC:
Trump Medicaid Plan Could Force Service Cuts, Higher Taxes
The new Donald Trump administration may soon force states to cut spending on services or raise taxes. That's because the president-elect wants to overhaul the way the federal government pays for state-provided Medicaid health-care coverage. ... "Trump's proposal to convert Medicaid funding into a block grant program would lead to much lower federal funding to states," according to a statement Thursday from Fitch Ratings, which tracks state finances for investors in municipal bonds. (Schoen, 11/10)
Politico Pro:
Republican Governors Who Expanded Medicaid Confront New Challenge — Obamacare Repeal
Republicans’ reinvigorated pledge to repeal Obamacare under President-elect Donald Trump is setting the stage for potential conflict in more than a dozen Republican-led states that enacted the law's Medicaid expansion. (Pradhan, 11/10)
