Mark A. Peterson, professor of public policy at UCLA Luskin, commented in a California Healthline story about the use of Medicaid money for social services not traditionally covered by the federal program such as housing and nutrition. Initiatives designed to improve the health of vulnerable Americans have become popular nationwide — including in California — according to the story. While the previous two government administrations allowed for expansion of coverage, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which permits such experimental programs, rescinded the previous “broad directive” of the last administration. “What they’re arguing is Medicaid has been expanded far beyond basic health care and it needs to be cut back to provide only basic coverage to those most desperately in need,” said Peterson. “They’re making the case, which is not widely shared by specialists in the health care field, that it’s not the job of taxpayers and Medicaid to pay for all this stuff outside the traditional heath care system.”