Trump's Budget Encourages State Flexibility In Limiting Medicaid Programs To Save Money

The president's budget proposes converting all the health law's funding into block grants. It would also convert Medicaid into a per capita cap system that would dole out funding based on the state's population. It's highly unlikely the proposals will make it into law, but it highlights a continued effort by the administration to reshape the Medicaid program. Meanwhile, HHS sees a sharp decrease in funding in the budget.

The Washington Post: Trump Budget Proposes Huge Cuts To Medicaid And Medicare

The Trump administration is proposing a sharp slowdown in Medicaid spending as part of a broad reduction in the government’s investment in health care, calling for the public insurance for the poor to morph from an entitlement program to state block grants even after a Republican Congress rejected the idea. The budget released by the White House on Monday also calls for a sizable reduction for Medicare, the federal insurance for older Americans that President Trump has consistently promised to protect. Most of the trims relate to changing payments to doctors and hospitals and renewing efforts to ferret out fraud and wasteful billing — oft-cited targets by presidents of both parties. (Goldstein and Stein, 3/11)

Modern Healthcare: HHS, Medicaid Get Deep Cuts In White House Budget Proposal

In a budget request with a $2.7 trillion federal spending cut, the Trump administration on Monday would give HHS $87.1 billion in funding. The White House also aims to cut Medicaid spending by nearly $1.5 trillion from 2020 through 2029 through repealing the Affordable Care Act's expansion of the program and converting overall funding to a block grant or per capita caps to states. (King, 3/11)

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