GOP Medicaid plans trigger wariness among some Republican governors

The Hill reports that the budget plan to soon be unveiled by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is likely to take a similar approach to last year's block grant proposal and is drawing some concerns. Meanwhile, Politico Pro reports on how Medicaid waivers are helping states leverage money to pay for health reform.  

The Hill: Some Republican Governors Wary Of House GOP's Medicaid Reform Proposals
Several Republican governors are raising concerns with a House GOP Medicaid reform proposal that's expected to be reintroduced shortly. The Republican budget that the House approved last year would have replaced the Medicaid program with a block grant that gives states more flexibility to run their programs while cutting federal funding for the health program for low-income Americans. Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is expected to propose a similar approach again when he releases his FY 2013 budget this month or next (Pecquet, 3/4).

Politico Pro: Medicaid Waivers Pave Route To Reforms
Millions and millions of dollars in Affordable Care Act grants aren't the only way the Obama administration is helping states prepare for health care reform. Some states are also bringing in billions through Medicaid waivers. Medicaid waivers aren't new. Nor were they created by President Barack Obama's health law. But the waivers, which allow states some flexibility in how they deliver health care to the poor, can help the states prepare for the roughly 16 million people who will be newly eligible for Medicaid in 2014 under ACA. And the health care law did give states the opportunity to expand their Medicaid rolls early (Nocera, 3/5).