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On Wednesday, President Donald Trump endorsed a House Republican budget plan that would impose hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, a healthcare program jointly funded by federal and state money, which helps provide coverage for Americans with lower incomes, including pregnant women, children and people with disabilities, among others. Trump endorsed the plan over another Senate proposal, which sought to pass much of his legislative agenda through two separate bills. Trump, who had previously said either plan was fine with him, said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that the House plan was better, in his mind, because it puts most everything he wants into “one big beautiful bill.” (Walker, 2/19)

Trump’s seemingly contradictory comments — shared in a Fox News interview Tuesday evening and then Truth Social Wednesday morning — are also fueling confusion and concern among Republicans on Capitol Hill, who are looking to him for political cover as they contemplate a potentially risky vote. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, said he has “concerns” about “the House’s proposal for very deep cuts to Medicaid.” (Leonard, Cancryn and King, 2/19)

Health plans are lobbying the Trump administration to scrap a proposal dating from the final days of the Biden administration that would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover anti-obesity drugs, including GLP-1s, for weight loss. Why it matters: The final decision, expected in April, is an important barometer of which health care interests have President Trump's ear, since many providers, patients and drugmakers want Medicare to cover the products. (Goldman, 2/20)

A bill that could repeal voter-approved Medicaid expansion narrowly cleared its first chamber of the Idaho Legislature. After an hour and a half of debate Wednesday, the Idaho House on a narrow 38-32 vote passed a Medicaid expansion reform-or-repeal bill. House Bill 138, by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d’Alene, requires Idaho to enact 11 Medicaid policy changes or repeal Medicaid expansion — a policy that lets more low-income Idahoans be eligible for the health insurance assistance program. (Pfannenstiel, 2/19)

The office of Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced on Wednesday that Braun recently signed an executive order surrounding Medicaid costs for Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA, therapy. According to a news release from Braun’s office, the order establishes a group that would explore the containment of the cost for the therapy while maintaining the quality of care for Hoosier children and young adults. ABA is a therapy for the early treatment of autism. (Gay, 2/19)

President Trump remains blocked from ending birthright citizenship in the U.S. after a federal appeals court ruling on Wednesday night. The big picture: Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship is facing multiple lawsuits, including from Democratic attorneys general and civil rights groups who say it violates the Constitution. The case is likely to end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. (Falconer, 2/19)