Legal Challenge To Medicaid Work Requirements Already Brewing, But CMS Says Law Is On Its Side
Critics of the new guidelines that will allow states to impose the requirements on some of their Medicaid enrollees say the policy is a contradiction of the purpose of Medicaid, and thus needs an act of Congress to change it. But CMS Administrator Seema Verma says she thinks the agency acted well within its rights. Meanwhile, outlets offer a look on where state leaders stand on the issue.
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Maintains Medicaid Work Requirements Can Withstand Legal Challenges
The CMS is confident that its decision to approve states' Medicaid work requirement waivers can withstand any litigation challenging the policy shift. On Thursday morning, the CMS issued new guidance intended to help states reshape their Medicaid programs. The agency spelled out criteria for states to follow when applying for waivers to add such things as work requirements for beneficiaries. (Weinstock and Dickson, 1/11)
The Hill:
CMS Pressed To Give More Time For Comment On Medicaid-Work Changes
The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) is pressing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to give the public more time to comment on state proposals to impose work requirements in the Medicaid program. NHeLP sent a letter to the agency just hours after CMS unveiled guidance letting states apply for waivers requiring certain Medicaid enrollees work or participate in community engagement in order to get health coverage. The guidance marked a major policy shift in the joint federal-state health program for low-income and disabled Americans. (Roubein, 1/11)
Marketplace:
Ten States To Seek Work Requirements For Medicaid Recipients
The Trump administration is offering states a path to impose new work requirements for some people who get health insurance under Medicaid, the program that serves 68 million primarily low-income, elderly and disabled Americans. ... Never in Medicaid's 52 years have people had to work in order to get health insurance. (Gorenstein, 1/11)
Boston Globe:
Baker Rebuffs Medicaid Work Requirements Available Under Trump Program
Governor Charlie Baker is rejecting the Trump administration’s new effort to allow states to force some poor people to work to get government-funded Medicaid health insurance. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Thursday that it is opening the door for states that want to impose work requirements on working-age, nondisabled poor people who are covered by Medicaid, a joint state-federal health care program that covers about one in five Americans. (Miller, 1/11)
WBUR:
Gov. Baker Opposes Work Requirement For Medicaid Recipients
Gov. Charlie Baker is not on board with the wave of states interested in imposing work requirements on certain Medicaid recipients. The federal government issued guidance Thursday enabling states to pursue a requirement that able-bodied, working age, adult Medicaid recipients work or participate in "community engagement activities" in order to continue receiving health insurance benefits. (Norton, 1/11)
The CT Mirror:
Malloy Says He Won’t Impose Work Requirements On Medicaid
Connecticut will not impose a work requirement on Connecticut Medicaid recipients, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said, even as the Trump administration moved Thursday to allow states to do so. ... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced it would, for the first time, allow states to craft programs that would require Medicaid recipients to prove they are working, training for a job or volunteering in their communities. (Radelat, 1/11)
Dallas Morning News:
Unlike Other States, Texas Hasn’t Applied For Medicaid Work Requirements Under Trump's New Policy
The Trump administration announced Thursday that states can apply to add work requirements to their Medicaid programs. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the policy guidelines are an attempt to get more able-bodied adults working or engaged in their communities. Ten states have already applied, but Texas isn’t one of them. (Wang, 1/11)
Austin (Texas) American-Statesman:
Key Texas Lawmaker Supports Medicaid Policy Change
An influential Texas lawmaker says he supports a new federal policy that allows states to impose work requirements for Medicaid recipients. State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, who chairs the Texas Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee, said the policy change will allow states more flexibility with their health care systems. However, he said the new policy would have less impact in Texas than in some other states due to Texas’ already limited Medicaid eligibility for nonworking residents. (Herrera and Zehr, 1/11)
San Antonio (Texas) Express-News:
Medicaid Work Requirements, If Adopted, Would Affect Few Texans
Only a small percentage of low-income Texans who get their health care through Medicaid would have to work to receive benefits should the state decide to adopt work requirements, according to figures provided by an advocacy organization. ... In Texas, the health care program primarily insures low-income children, who make up more than 75 percent of the 4.4 million enrollees, according to the Austin-based Center for Public Policy Priorities. There are only about 150,000 impoverished adults covered by Medicaid who aren’t pregnant, elderly or disabled. A parent of two must make less than $230 a month, or $2,760 a year, to qualify for Medicaid in Texas. (Morris, 1/11)
Arizona Republic:
Arizona Legislator Wants To Let Uninsured Buy Medicaid Coverage
Rep. Kelli Butler, a Phoenix Democrat, said she will introduce a bill this legislative session that would either allow uninsured Arizonans to buy Medicaid coverage or direct state officials to study what it would take to enact such a coverage expansion. Butler said the Medicaid buy-in option would provide a practical insurance option for residents who don't qualify for subsidized plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. (Alltucker, 1/11)
Chicago Tribune:
No Work, No Medicaid? Illinois Reviews New Federal Guidelines
Illinois is reviewing new guidance from the Trump administration that opens the door for states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients, but there is no indication yet that it will follow the lead of neighboring states that are pursuing plans to tighten their rules. Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office and the state’s Department of Healthcare and Family Services said the new policy and its implications are “under review,” but the Republican administration has not signaled whether it supports Medicaid work requirements. (Elejalde-Ruiz, 1/11)
The Associated Press:
Louisiana Governor Considering Work Requirements In Medicaid
Louisiana is developing a proposal to impose work requirements on certain adult Medicaid recipients, as the Trump administration announced Thursday (Jan. 11) it will allow states to enact such provisions. Gov. John Bel Edwards said his administration is "actively working" on the concept, which would require federal approval. ... The details of what Louisiana is crafting -- and how many low-income people in Louisiana's $12.5 billion Medicaid program it would affect -- aren't clear. Edwards said he wants the work requirements to be "reasonable," with exceptions for people in school or training programs. He said Louisiana has hired a consulting firm that helped develop a similar work requirement proposal for Kentucky, which is awaiting a federal decision. (Deslatte, 1/11)
