- More States Jump on Medicaid Work Requirements Bandwagon Roll Call — A growing number of mostly Republican-led states are rushing to follow Kentucky's lead in requiring thousands of people on Medicaid to work or lose health coverage. The governors of South Dakota, Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina have said in recent weeks that they plan to pursue work requirements for their Medicaid programs, following the Trump administration's release of guidelines for the concept in January. "Whenever possible, we should always endeavor to help South Carolinians in need find their path to gainful employment and away from temporary assistance of government," South Carolina GOP Gov. Henry McMaster tweeted Jan. 11, the same day federal officials announced the new guidance. At least four non-expansion states, including Mississippi and Kansas, have already submitted formal work requirement proposals to the Department of Health and Human Services. They are among at least 10 states, including Indiana and Arkansas, to do so.
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Trump Administration Approves Second Medicaid Work Requirement, for Indiana Politico by Adam Cancryn - Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Friday granted Indiana permission to add work requirements to its Medicaid program, making it the second state to tie health coverage to employment for certain low-income enrollees. Azar, days after being sworn in, touted the work requirement plan as an innovative approach to boosting employment and lifting poor adults out of poverty. ...The Indiana waiver builds on the conservative Medicaid expansion model pioneered in 2015 by then-Gov. Mike Pence, and developed by Seema Verma, the administrator of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, who was then a consultant. In order to qualify for coverage under the new plan, able-bodied individuals under 60 years old would need to work at least 20 hours a week on average, be enrolled in school, or participate in the state’s job training and search program. "There is a robust body of academic evidence to show that work is a key component of well-being," Azar said. "This in particular is going to help open new opportunities for a lot of Hoosiers."