CMS Approves High-Profile Obamacare Medicaid Waiver

The CMS has approved a waiver that means Arkansas won't put
residents eligible for the expansion on traditional Medicaid, but will instead
be able to offer them private coverage. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat
leading a deeply conservative state, crafted the option as a way to expand
health care coverage without fully signing on to an expanded government
program. His administration has been negotiating with the Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services (CMS) for months over the waiver after the idea
received an unexpectedly warm reception from Health and Human Services
Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Several other states have been closely watching Arkansas's
progress, and former President Clinton touted the state's proposal as an
innovative option for states that are reluctant to fully embrace ObamaCare but
still want to expand coverage for their residents. The CMS approved Arkansas's
request allowing the state to move forward with a privatized Medicaid
expansion.

Source/more: The Hill