Democrats Pressure HHS Watchdog on Medicaid Block Grant Request

Leading congressional Democrats have asked a government watchdog to scrutinize the Trump administration’s handling of a request to convert most of Tennessee’s federal Medicaid funding into a modified block grant.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Senate Finance Committee ranking Democrat Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), say Tennessee’s proposal would threaten access to care for 1.4 million state residents. They also say the HHS secretary doesn’t have the legal authority to waive a specific provision of the Social Security Act that’s necessary to approve the requested changes.

“Such an approval would be in violation of the plain ...