White House Supports Medicaid Work Requirements

On February 2, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a request by Indiana to require certain Medicaid recipients to work or volunteer at least 20 house a week in order to qualify for benefits.  Indiana is the second state to get approval for Medicaid work requirements.  Kentucky became the first state last month after CMS released guidance encouraging states to impose work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries.  The Kaiser Family Foundation released a report that examines the implications of work requirements for Medicaid adults with disabilities and describes key issues to consider in implementing such requirements.  As of early February, eight other states have waivers pending at CMS requesting work requirement approval.

Kaiser FF:  https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-and-work-requirements-new-guidance-state-waiver-details-and-key-issues/

5 Things to Know about Work Requirements:  http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/368823-five-things-to-know-about-medicaid-work-requirements

Two-pager from CBPP:  https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/medicaid-work-requirements-will-harm-families-including-workers