House challenges administration on Medicaid rules

The House has moved to impose a one-year moratorium on new Medicaid rules that lawmakers argued would add to the burdens of states and healthcare providers. The Bush administration backs the rules as cost-saving measures, and there is a veto threat from the White House. The bill would "thwart these efforts of the federal government to regain fiscal accountability and integrity in Medicaid," according to a statement from the White House. The proposed changes have met opposition from states, healthcare providers and advocates for poor, however, who say they will shift costs from the federal government to the states and create new hardships for the needy.