Trump just moved the GOP’s health care consensus permanently to the left

EZRA KLEIN, VOX

BUT JUST WHAT DID HE MEAN?

VOX

3) “Thirdly, we should give our great state governors the resources and flexibility they need with Medicaid to make sure no one is left out.”

This particular point is a bit difficult to decode. The idea of “resources and flexibility” seems to hint at the idea of a block grant, where the federal government would give states a lump sum of money and let them run the entitlement program as they see fit, with less federal oversight. Block grants (including the one proposed in the recently leaked GOP plan) are typically used as a way to cut federal Medicaid spending.

The second part of the sentence is interesting here, too, as Trump promises to “make sure no one is left out.” This sure feels like a nod toward the Republican governors (and some senators) who have pushed to maintain the Medicaid expansion. This would include Ohio Gov. John Kasich, whom Trump met with on Saturday and who has been a vociferous advocate for continuing the Medicaid expansion. The governors are still figuring out their exact position on what they want from Trump on Medicaid, and this seems like a space still subject to significant change in coming weeks and months.