Republicans are looking for ways to make sweeping cuts to Medicaid, while publicly insisting they’re not actually doing that. Enacting work requirements has emerged as one clear favorite option for the bamboozlement.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/republicans-coalesce-around-medicaid-work-requirements-pretending-it-wont-impact-millions-of-enrollees
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/republicans-coalesce-around-medicaid-work-requirements-pretending-it-wont-impact-millions-of-enrollees
Comments
When finished, they’d wash their hands, tell you Roosevelt was a Canadian commie, and end Social Security.
I think everyone already knows the answer.
Republicans are destroying America and the press has been more than happy to congratulate them on their moxie.
Fact: Most able-bodied adults on Medicaid are either employed, caregivers, students, or dealing with health issues.
Argument: Work requirements unfairly target a small minority and create burdensome red tape for those who are already working.
Implementing & enforcing work requirements requires new bureaucracy & tech, which cost more than any savings from reduced enrollment.
E.g.: Arkansas spent millions on implementation and saw tens of thousands lose coverage—mostly due to paperwork issues, not noncompliance.
People w/ unstable jobs, mental illness, or caregiving duties may not meet reporting requirements, even if working or trying to work.
Coverage losses can worsen health outcomes and lead to greater long-term costs in emergency care and disability.
Medicaid is a health program, not an employment program. Good health is often a prerequisite for finding and keeping a job.
Circular logic: Requiring people to work to get health care can prevent them from getting healthy enough to work.
Work requirements may disproportionately affect people of color, rural residents, and those in low-wage, unstable jobs who may not have reliable internet or access to reporting systems.
Studies show that work requirements don’t significantly increase long-term employment or income levels.
Real-world outcome: In Arkansas, the first state to implement them, coverage dropped without a corresponding rise in employment.