The Wall Street Journal reports that more than half the states want permission to remove hundreds of thousands of people from the Medicaid insurance program, a move that would represent a rare cut to a national social program.

The push sets up a showdown between states struggling with fiscal 2012 budgets and the Obama Administration, which says it may lack the authority to allow such cuts. That means Congress could be forced to settle the matter.

See maps prepared by the Kaiser Family Foundation:

States seek relief from Medicaid. Click on image to enlarge.