Washington Examiner: House lawmakers charge Medicaid work rules violate federal law
Washington,
January 26, 2018
Washington Examiner - A group of 72 House lawmakers want the Trump administration to rescind new rules to allow states to implement work requirements for Medicaid.
By Robert King
A group of 72 House lawmakers want the Trump administration to rescind new rules to allow states to implement work requirements for Medicaid. The lawmakers sent a letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma Thursday calling for the Jan. 11 guidance to states to be rescinded, saying the work requirements are unconstitutional. It also calls for CMS to deny any state waivers for Medicaid work requirements. “Congress was clear in requiring through Medicaid, medical assistance be provided to all eligible individuals, regardless of employment status,” according to the letter led by Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis. The letter points to studies that show “imposing work requirements on people who are already suffering through hardship is ineffective in reducing poverty, ejects people from the program, and can even worsen the economic status of families and individuals who lose access to the social safety net.” The Trump administration released the new guidance to allow states to require a Medicaid enrollee to hold a job, volunteer or enroll in classes. Verma had said that the administration views work requirements as a way to get people out of poverty and that work or community engagement can help improve health outcomes. Kentucky is the only state to have a waiver approved for work requirements. Nine other states are seeking a waiver: Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin. To read online, please click here. |
