Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Working On Plan To Tighten Eligibility Requirements For Disability Benefits With Focus On Age
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Weighs Tighter Requirements For Disability Payments
The Trump administration is working on a plan to tighten eligibility requirements for disability benefits, especially for older Americans, the latest step in a broader White House effort to shrink federal safety-net programs. The proposal being prepared by the Social Security Administration would revise eligibility for disability benefits based on age, education and work experience, according to a draft viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Those factors determined the eligibility of about 500,000 people in 2017, according to the latest available data. More than eight million people currently receive disability payments. (Davidson, 1/10)
The New York Times: Tighter Food Stamp Rules Crowded Soup Kitchens, Not Job Rosters
In the early mornings, Chastity and Paul Peyton walk from their small and barely heated apartment to Taco Bell to clean fryers and take orders for as many work hours as they can get. It rarely adds up to full-time week’s worth, often not even close. With this income and whatever cash Mr. Peyton can scrape up doing odd jobs — which are hard to come by in a small town in winter, for someone without a car — the couple pays rent, utilities and his child support payments. Then there is the matter of food. “We can barely eat,” Ms. Peyton said. She was told she would be getting food stamps again soon — a little over two dollars’ worth a day — but the couple was without them for months. (Robertson, 1/13)
The Wall Street Journal: Plan To Revamp Medicaid-Eligibility Checks Draws Criticism
A push by the Trump administration and states to overhaul Medicaid-eligibility regulations is alarming critics who say stiffer verification measures are already creating procedural hurdles that depress enrollment. The Trump administration says a lack of oversight on Medicaid, a federal-state program for low-income and disabled people, threatens its future by allowing people to get health coverage even though they earn too much to qualify. (Armour, 1/12)
