Why we need Medicaid block grants

On NBC’s “Sunday Today,” President Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway said Medicaid block grants would be a part of a Republican replacement for Obamacare. Block grants have long been among conservative proposals to reform the government health insurance program for the poor.

Liberal commentators have seized on Conway’s comments about block granting Medicaid, saying it is an attempt to “slash federal funding” for the program. It’s true that a block-grant approach would change the way Medicaid is funded, but this change would be for the better. More importantly, Medicaid reform would allow states the opportunity to make significant improvements in the quality of the program for those who depend on it.