Abstract
MFP was first authorized through the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 with strong bipartisan support. The program was extended in the Affordable Care Act through September 2016, with flexibility to use funding through 2018. Since then, there have been five short-term extensions to keep the program afloat.
However, funding lapses, coupled with short-term extensions to MFP funding, have resulted in a dramatic drop in state efforts to transition people out of institutions.