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Acknowledgments In seeking to fathom the nature and origins of Medicaid durability from President Clinton to President Obama, I have benefited greatly from the assistance of others. I am deeply indebted to the Robert Wood Johnson Investigator Award Program for funding my research. The foundation’s generous support expedited my efforts to gather and analyze pertinent data, paid for my site visits to interview key stakeholders, and allowed me to pare my teaching courseload so I could focus more intensively on the project. Additionally, the annual meetings of the Robert Wood Johnson award winners introduced me to a set of extraordinarily knowledgeable health care experts from a spectrum of disciplines. There was no better way to recharge my intellectual batteries for this project than listening to and interacting with these exemplars. As vital to this project as the investigator award program has been, it deserves emphasis that this volume’s conclusions do not necessarily reflect those of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This book strives to speak to two audiences: those interested in health policy; and those who seek to hone their understanding of broader political, policy, and administrative dynamics. In targeting these groups, two individuals have, from the outset, provided me with invaluable advice, draft chapter by draft chapter. David Mechanic, who directs the investigator award program and is a premier medical sociologist at Rutgers, knows more about health care, broadly defined, than anyone else I have met. He unfailingly offered copious, timely, and insightful comments on the initial drafts. On the political science side, Tom Gais, director of the Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York–Albany, steered me in fruitful directions. It was Tom who first made me realize the importance of “executive federalism” and waivers as a policy tool. He also commented on each draft chapter, nudging me to extract the lessons of Medicaid for broader issues of American politics and governance. With their emphases on “faculty governance,” university cultures typically undervalue the role of leadership and management. But make no mistake; my progress on this book benefited greatly from two exemplary leaders. Marc Holzer , founding dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers– Newark, has nurtured an organizational climate that supports and rewards scholarly research. He is the main reason I had the opportunity to join the Rutgers faculty in 2008. In turn, Joel Cantor, director of the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, has helped create and sustain a thriving think tank that produces highquality scholarly and applied work. I cannot imagine a more supportive setting xii in which to pursue my interests in Medicaid. Joel also read and commented on portions of my manuscript. He assigned one of the center’s professional staff, Jennifer Farnham, to assist me with the project. Jennifer’s contribution was stellar from beginning to end. She took the lead in assembling pertinent data, constructing tables, and performing statistical analyses. She also commented on each draft chapter and called my attention to Medicaid reports and updates that would have otherwise eluded me. Others also stepped up to help. Bob Hackey, Leighton Ku, and Mark Rom read and commented on the entire manuscript. Bruce Vladeck proffered perceptive comments on chapter 2. David Rousseau of the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured went well beyond the call in helping me assemble a Medicaid data set covering the 1992–2008 period. Dick Nathan helped incubate this project at an early stage and generally opened Medicaid doors to me during his close to two decades as director of the Rockefeller Institute of Government. At an early point, Don Kettl planted the seeds for this book in my mind. Barry Rabe read the manuscript and provided encouragement down the home stretch. Bram Poquette of the Center for State Health Policy always rose to the occasion when I asked for his assistance with the technical aspects of manuscript preparation. I also owe much to the many public officials and other Medicaid stakeholders who took time out of their busy (often hectic) schedules to enlighten me about Medicaid. Their knowledge and insights were indispensable. Consultants helped me target my interviews in three states. My thanks go to Yvonne Bigos (Florida), Lynn Blewett (Minnesota), and Camille Miller (Texas) for steering me in such productive directions. The staff of Georgetown University Press supported this book from beginning to end. I especially thank my editor Don Jacobs for his initial interest in the project as well as his encouragement and advice...

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