Adding a Work Requirement to Medicaid Could Hurt Kentucky’s Economy
<p>Under a recently approved waiver, Kentucky will require an estimated 350,000 able-bodied Medicaid beneficiaries to work, complete job training, or volunteer at least 80 hours a month in order to maintain their coverage. Kentucky argues that the program will increase labor force participation and makes economic sense. However, New York University’s Sherry Glied and Sara Snowden say that not only are work requirements such as these unlikely to lead to any meaningful increase in the number of people who work, they are likely to hurt the state’s economy.</p><p>“The annual loss in federal funds to Kentucky by adding work requirements to Medicaid will be of a magnitude similar to the state losing its entire federal highway program funding each year,” the researchers say in a new <em>To the Point</em> post.</p>
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletters/ealerts/2018/apr/medicaid-work-requirement-kentucky Read the post