Arkansas kicks 4,353 people off Medicaid for failing to meet work requirements
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Wednesday announced his state will drop
4,353 people from Medicaid for failing to adhere to work requirement
rules.
It is the first time a state has dropped people from the federal program for not meeting state-mandated work requirements.
"Personal responsibility is important. We will continue to do everything
we can to ensure those who qualify for the program keep their coverage,
but it is equally important that we make sure those who no longer
qualify are removed," Hutchinson said in a statement.
The work requirements, which were approved by the Trump administration
in March, require Medicaid recipients between the ages of 30 and 49 to
work, volunteer or attend school or job training for at least 80 hours
each month. Those who are chronically ill, enrolled in a drug or alcohol
treatment program, or are caring for a child or incapacitated person
are exempt from the requirement, according to the Arkansas Times.
Arkansas is one of only four states that sought approval from the Trump
administration to implement a work requirement program for Medicaid. The
other three are New Hampshire, Kentucky and Indiana, but Arkansas
implemented their program first.
The state also plans to broaden the program in 2019 by including Medicaid recipients between the ages of 19 and 29.
The work requirements has received criticism from healthcare experts.
Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families
at Georgetown University, told Bloomberg that the idea is "backwards."
"Providing people with health coverage is more likely to support them in
their efforts to work, and taking coverage away will undermine that
goal," Alker said. "What's happening in Arkansas is confirming my worst
fear, which is that this is really just designed to kick people off of
coverage."
But Arkansas Department of Workforce Services Director Daryl Bassett
called it "an opportunity for both government and the citizenry."
"It mandates that government invest in its citizen's capabilities in a
manner that holds both parties accountable," Bassett said.
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