CMS Faulted By Government Watchdog For Approving Medicaid Work Requirements Without Considering Costs
“Without requiring states to submit projections of administrative costs in their demonstration applications, and by not considering the implications of these costs for federal spending, CMS puts its goals of transparency and budget neutrality at risk,” the Government Accountability Office said in the report. The GAO, a nonpartisan agency that works for Congress, found in its report that costs to administer the work requirements range from about $6 million in New Hampshire to $271 million in Kentucky.
The Wall Street Journal:
Government Watchdog Faults Trump Administration’s Approval Of Medicaid Work Requirements
The Trump administration has approved states’ plans to impose work requirements on people who get Medicaid even though estimated implementation costs are in the hundreds of millions of dollars, a federal oversight report said Thursday. The Government Accountability Office said in the report that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allowed states to add work requirements without requiring projections on the administrative costs, which is inconsistent with federal control standards. The administrative costs of the programs aren’t transparent to the public, based on the report, and aren’t included in calculations ensuring they don’t cause additional federal spending. (Armour, 10/10)
In other news about the Trump administration and its policies —
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Signs Executive Order To Offset Agencies’ Increased Administrative Spending
The White House on Thursday announced a new effort aimed at reining in spending at federal agencies by requiring them to offset administrative actions that boost mandatory spending with cuts elsewhere. The order, which President Trump signed Thursday, would apply to any agency actions not required by law, including new rules, guidance or program notices. If an agency head determines such action would affect mandatory spending on expenses such as Social Security they would have to submit a proposal to the Office of Management and Budget “to comparably reduce mandatory spending,” according to the order. (Davidson and Restuccia, 10/10)
WBUR:
Advocates Try To Help Migrants Navigate Trump's Public Charge Rule
The Trump administration's new public charge rule, which makes it more difficult for immigrants to get green cards if it looks like they might need public assistance, is set to go into effect on Oct. 15. Multiple groups, including several states and immigrants' rights advocates, are in court trying to delay the rule and ultimately block it. But there's already widespread confusion over how the rule would work, leading many immigrants to drop benefits unnecessarily. (Fessler, 10/11)
