New Medicaid panel 'off to rocky start'; States continue to struggle with Medicaid's pressure on their budgets

Politico gives a progress report on the MACPAC while KHN details how a Medicaid showdown regarding costs and coverage could be in the making.

Politico: Medicaid Panel Off To Rocky Start
Tasked with issuing recommendations to Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services and the states, and on a deadline to vote on them next month, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) hit the reset button Friday when faced with the complexity and cost of the effort (Coughlin, 1/29).

Kaiser Health News: States May Face Showdown With Feds Over Cutting Medicaid Rolls
Financially strapped governors, Congress and the Obama administration could be headed for a showdown over the Medicaid health care program that covers 48 million poor, disabled and elderly people nationwide (Werber Serafini and Appleby, 1/30).