| SPN Headquarters: 2020 North 14th Street Ste 250 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: (703) 243-1655 | West Coast Office: PO Box 5208 Richmond, CA 94805 Phone: (510) 965-9700 |
| SPN Headquarters: 2020 North 14th Street Ste 250 Arlington, VA 22201 Phone: (703) 243-1655 | West Coast Office: PO Box 5208 Richmond, CA 94805 Phone: (510) 965-9700 |
I think part of the tendency you notice may be the way Congressmen and Senators request studies. The phrasing of the request may shape the results. However, I don't really know if that was the case here. As much as I like the CMS policy, it seems that it does probably amount to a rule change considering how much it departed from CMS's past practices. As much as it hurts, I think GAO made the correct call.
The Bush appointees CMS seems to have gotten religion on SCHIP recently after years of approving very permissive state plans. Their past behavior certainly doesn't help their case here.