Gov. Mark Sanford's proposal to overhaul the state's Medicaid program is too complex to save money and will lead to cuts in care for people with disabilities, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The report was written by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning Washington, D.C.-based group that has been among the proposal's most vocal critics.

"This is a cumbersome and complex plan," said Judith Solomon, senior fellow at the center. "It focuses on a group of beneficiaries who are, on average, the least expensive. It's difficult to know how you're going to get savings from that program when you're building a complex new structure."

State officials disagreed. "Our proposal was well thought out," said Jeff Stensland, a spokesman for the state's Medicaid agency. "It was put together by people who know the health challenges we're facing."

South Carolina asked the federal government in November for permission to overhaul its Medicaid program. That proposal was revised from an earlier one submitted in June. The proposal would limit how much the state, and by extension the federal government, pays each year for benefits for Medicaid recipients.

Recipients, about 700,000 of whom would be affected by this proposal, would be required to choose from a number of private health plans, including HMOs and doctors' groups called medical home networks that manage all aspects of a patient's care.

The federal government pays for 70 percent of Medicaid's cost in the state and must approve the changes. Stensland said it's uncertain when that approval could come.

Conservative groups have hailed the