More US states imposing Medicaid work requirements
By
Kate Randall
14 April 2018
With little attention from the media or the Democratic Party, the Trump administration and state governments are carrying out a ruthless campaign against Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor, disabled and elderly that is jointly administered by the federal government and the states. More than 75 million Americans are currently covered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
Under the Obama administration-sponsored Affordable Care Act (ACA), 33 states have expanded Medicaid benefits to cover those earning up to $16,643 a year as an individual or $28,180 for a family of four.
A 2012 US Supreme Court decision ruled that the ACA’s individual mandate, which requires those without insurance to purchase private health insurance or pay a penalty, was constitutional, but left it up to the states to decide whether or not to expand Medicaid. To date, 32 states and the District of Columbia have expanded the program, while 18 states, mostly led by Republicans in the South and Midwest, have not.
Some Republican-controlled states are now considering expanding Medicaid, but these moves come with attached stipulations, such as work requirements, aimed at limiting benefits and forcing recipients off of the rolls. The Trump administration’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in January 2017 announced that it would allow states to impose work requirements.
On Tuesday, Trump took his crusade for work requirements one step further. He issued an executive order to six government departments to review all public assistance programs, with the aim of determining which programs currently have work requirements attached to them. Cabinet secretaries are required to…