How Kentucky's 1115 Medicaid Work Demonstration Undermines Health Coverage

Earlier this month, Kentucky became the first state to gain approval to launch a demonstration that will make employment an eligibility requirement for Medicaid. Shortly after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) gave the green light to the state's proposal, attorneys representing 15 Kentucky Medicaid beneficiaries sued the HHS secretary, seeking to have the Trump administration's work policies declared unlawful. On To the Point, Sara Rosenbaum of George Washington University and colleagues examine the heart of the case: that the demonstration may exceed the HHS secretary’s power under Section 1115, because it runs counter to Medicaid's mission to promote access to medical assistance among the nation’s neediest populations.