Kentucky Medicaid Enrollees Sue To Stop First-In-Nation Work Requirements

The Associated Press: Medicaid Recipients Sue To Block New Work-Requirement Rules
Fifteen people in Kentucky who get their health insurance through Medicaid have sued the federal government, asking a judge to block new first-in-the-nation rules that would make them work to keep their taxpayer-funded benefits. The lawsuit , filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by three nonprofit groups, is the first legal challenge of a Medicaid waiver granted by the Trump administration. (Beam, 1/24)

Reuters: U.S. Sued Over Approval Of Kentucky Medicaid Work Provisions
The proposed class action lawsuit, filed in Washington federal court against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), says the agency exceeded its authority under the federal Medicaid law when it approved Kentucky's requirements earlier this month. A spokesman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the branch of HHS that oversees Medicaid, declined to comment. The office of Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Pierson, 1/24)

The Washington Post: Opponents Of Medicaid Work Requirement File Lawsuit To Try To Stop Kentucky Plan
The 80-page complaint says that, in granting Kentucky a “waiver” from regular Medicaid rules, the Trump administration has “effectively rewritten the statute . . . overturning a half-century of administrative practice, and threatening irreparable harm to the health and welfare of the poorest and most vulnerable in our country.” The suit was filed by the National Health Law Program, the Kentucky Equal Justice Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center. (Goldstein, 1/24)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Faces Lawsuit Over Kentucky Medicaid Work Requirements
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, pushed the Medicaid changes in his state. He also has issued an executive order saying that Kentucky’s expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act would end if courts strike down any of the changes. About 400,000 Kentuckians received coverage under the expansion. (Armour, 1/24)

Los Angeles Times: Medicaid Patients Sue Over Trump Administration's New Work Requirement Policy
Kentucky has projected significant cost reductions under the new policy, largely because growing numbers of poor Kentuckians will be caught up in the complex reporting requirements and paperwork, causing them to lose coverage. But Trump administration officials said in approving Kentucky's proposal that the change would "promote Medicaid's objective of improving beneficiary health" and "provide incentives for responsible decision-making." (Levey, 1/24)

Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal: Trump Lacks The Authority To Change Kentucky's Medicaid Law, Lawsuit Says
Among the plaintiffs, who range in age from 20 to 62 and include several low-income married couples, are a classical musician, a custodian, a housekeeper, a pastor, college students, a bank teller and an auto repairman. Most have significant health problems, including diabetes, heart conditions, high blood pressure or mental illness and would suffer harm if they lost heath coverage under the new rules, the lawsuit said. Bevin has said he wants to reshape the state's Medicaid program to encourage more people to work and become more invested in their health and costs of health care. (Yetter, 1/24)

Modern Healthcare: Kentucky Medicaid Enrollees Sue To Block Work Requirement Waiver 
Nine other Republican-led states are seeking to require some residents to participate in work, education or volunteer activities to receive and keep their Medicaid benefits. The CMS released guidance earlier this month to help states reshape their Medicaid programs and include provisions like work requirements. CMS Administrator Seema Verma said at the time she believes the waiver approvals would prevail in litigation. (Meyer, 1/24)

The Hill: Groups File Lawsuit Against Trump Admin's Medicaid Work Rules 
Top CMS official Seema Verma has argued the administration has “broad authority” under current law to let states alter their Medicaid programs through waivers. Earlier this month, the administration released guidance on work requirements in Medicaid, marking a major shift for the program. (Roubein, 1/24)

Bloomberg: Trump Administration Challenged In Court On Medicaid Overhaul 
“If you read what the purpose of Medicaid is, it’s to get people engaged and to create work opportunities,” Bevin said in a Jan. 16 interview. “When Medicaid was originally designed, it was designed to help assimilate disabled people back into society to the absolute extent possible, to create work opportunities. These are some of the underlying tenets of Medicaid for the traditional Medicaid population." (Tracer, Tozzi and Larson, 1/24)

Bloomberg: Kentucky's Medicaid Work Requirement Isn't Only Target In Court 
Kentucky’s proposed work requirement for Medicaid recipients is just one aspect of the state’s overhaul of the health-care plan that some experts say puts it at risk of being overturned in court. The proposed class-action suit filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington contends the rules contradict the stated purpose of Medicaid, which is to encourage coverage. They cite more documentation of work and income and lockout periods for people who fail to pay revised premiums on time or miss re-certification deadlines. (Larson, 1/24)

The Hill: Mississippi Pushes For Medicaid Work Requirements
Thousands of Medicaid recipients in Mississippi would be required to work to be eligible for the program if the Trump administration approves a controversial state waiver request that recently opened for public comment. The proposal is likely to set off a firestorm of criticism from Democrats and health advocates, who argue that work requirements, combined with Mississippi’s strict Medicaid eligibility requirements, will result in thousands of people losing their coverage. (Weixel, 1/24)