Cite as: 534 U. S. 473 (2002)
Opinion of the Court
for Cert. 89a.14 In a recently proposed rule, the Secretary declared that "in the spirit of Federalism," the Federal Government "should leave to States the decision as to which alternative [income-first or resources-first] to use." 66 Fed. Reg. 46763, 46767 (2001).
The Secretary's position warrants respectful consideration. Cf. United States v. Mead Corp., 533 U. S. 218 (2001); Thomas Jefferson Univ. v. Shalala, 512 U. S. 504, 512 (1994) (reliance on Secretary's "significant expertise" particularly appropriate in the context of "a complex and highly technical regulatory program" (internal quotation marks omitted)); Gray Panthers, 453 U. S., at 43-44 (Secretary granted "exceptionally broad authority" under the Medicaid statute). As Blumer acknowledges, Brief for Respondent 31-32, the MCCA affords large discretion to the States on two related variables: the level of the MMMNA accorded the community spouse, § 1396r-5(d)(3), see supra, at 481, and the amount of assets the couple is permitted to retain, § 1396r-5(f)(2)(A), see supra, at 482-483. Nothing in the Act indicates to us that similar latitude is inappropriate with respect to the application of subsection (e)(2)(C).
Eliminating the discretion to choose income-first would hinder a State's efforts to "strik[e] its own balance" in the implementation of the Act. Lukhard, 481 U. S., at 383. States that currently allocate limited funds through the income-first approach would have little choice but to offset the greater expense of the resources-first method by reducing the MMMNA or the standard CSRA. Such an alteration would benefit couples seeking Medicaid who possess sig-14 Contrary to the dissent's suggestion, post, at 505, the Secretary has never wavered from his position that the income-first method represents at least a permissible interpretation of the Act. See HCFA, Chicago Regional State Letter No. 51-93 (Dec. 1993), App. to Pet. for Cert. 78a-83a; HCFA, Chicago Regional State Letter No. 22-94, p. 2 (July 1994), App. to Pet. for Cert. 89a; 66 Fed. Reg. 46763, 46765 (2001).
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