WASHINGTON, Feb 22: The Department of Health and Human Services said yesterday that it would provide 25 of the 50 states with funding to test new ways to lower costs and improve care within the national Medicaid program for the poor. The first states to receive State Innovation Model awards are Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon and Vermont, which will implement plans to transform their healthcare delivery system under President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law, which sets aside $300 million for the overall venture. (agencies)