Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Verma Defends Work Requirements: They're 'Not Some Subversive Attempt To Just Kick People Off Of Medicaid'
The Hill: Trump Administration Defends Medicaid Work Requirements
A top health official in the Trump administration defended Medicaid work requirements Thursday, arguing that its intent isn't to expel people from the program. "Community engagement requirements are not some subversive attempt to just kick people off of Medicaid," Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a speech in Washington, D.C. "Instead, their aim is to put beneficiaries in control with the right incentives to live healthier, independent lives." (Hellmann, 9/27)
Modern Healthcare: Verma Touts Medicaid Work Requirement Successes, Despite Coverage Loss
"I have heard the criticism and felt the resistance, but I reject the premise and here is why: It is not compassionate to trap people on government programs or create greater dependency on public assistance as we expand programs like Medicaid," Verma told policy insiders at a Medicaid Managed Care Summit Thursday in Washington. Although more than 4,300 Medicaid expansion enrollees in Arkansas are losing coverage because they did not comply with the state's work requirement mandate, Verma noted that the vast majority of expansion enrollees had some type of employment before the policy kicked in. More than 1,000 Arkansas Works enrollees have found jobs since the program began in July. (Dickson, 9/27)
The Associated Press: Court Hears Latest Medicaid Expansion Arguments
The state says it's denied 3,500 Mainers who have applied for health coverage under voter-approved Medicaid expansion that's been held up by the Republican governor. A Maine judge Thursday heard the latest arguments in the ongoing battle over Medicaid expansion. Arguments are set to continue Friday. Nearly three out of five Mainers last fall approved expanding Medicaid to 70,000 low-income residents. But the referendum didn't include a funding source, and the governor has opposed expansion over his financial concerns. (9/27)
Wyoming Public Radio: Medicaid Expansion Benefits Rural Residents, Says New Report
Idaho and Utah voters will decide whether to expand Medicaid at the ballot this November. Those voters might want to look at a report out this week that assessed how the expansion of the federal health care program played out. (Peacher, 9/27)
