Two prominent Republicans outlined a plan Wednesday to limit federal Medicaid spending and give states more control over the program. Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the top Republican on the Finance Committee, proposed a "per capita cap" on Medicaid benefits. The idea of a per capita cap has its origins in the Clinton administration, and Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has proposed something similar. Under the plan Upton and Hatch outlined, the federal government's share of each state's Medicaid payments would be determined by the type of patients who use Medicaid.
