A large part of the House GOP plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare is predicated on the idea of giving states more flexibility to run their Medicaid programs.
But with an $880 billion price tag estimated over 10 years, governors and state officials from both parties are pressing Congress to slow down.
States play a tricky balancing act with the federal government over costs for the joint program. Almost every state seeks more options for how they run Medicaid programs, as long as it doesn’t cost them more money. But now that the full extent of the cuts in the House bill are on display, states will have to decide how much the idea of “increased flexibility” is worth.