Fierce Healthcare

By: Paige Minemyer

Tennessee legislators have approved a bill that would make the state the first to request approval from the Trump administration for a Medicaid block grant.

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The White House has also built Medicaid block grants into its budget proposals for 2019 and 2020, making clear that it backs the idea. Republicans have long trumpeted block grants as a way to control Medicaid costs and offer states greater “flexibility.” But it’s an open question what new opportunities states can pursue under a block grant payment structure compared to traditional Medicaid funding. States already have plenty of leeway to design their programs to fit their populations, Edwin Park, a research professor at the Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy, told FierceHealthcare. “That’s where there’s usually a silence or refusal to answer” from advocates, Park said.

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