Medicaid Work Requirements: Developments in AK, KY and VA

Last week several developments emerged on the issue of Medicaid work requirements. ANCOR is sharing these because of our concerns with how these requirements can affect people with I/DD and the DSP workforce.

• Medicaid advocates are gearing up to oppose Kentucky’s work requirements, again. As shared by Politico Pro: “Health care advocates who sued to stop Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirements in January are updating their complaint now that the Trump administration has approved the controversial plan for a second time. The advocacy groups hope amending the class-action lawsuit they filed on behalf of 16 enrollees will convince the same federal judge who initially blocked the rules from taking effect in July to do so again next spring. […] Amending the initial complaint is seen as having a distinct advantage over filing new litigation, simplifying the legal process and keeping the dispute in front of the same judge.”

• CMS Administrator Seema Verma says it is too early to draw conclusions on Arkansas’s Medicaid work requirements program. As shared by Fierce Healthcare: “Despite large numbers of Arkansas residents losing Medicaid eligibility under that state’s work requirement law, the Trump administration is doubling down on its support of a “long list” of other states seeking to create their own Medicaid work requirements. […] Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid [CMS] Administrator Seema Verma said it is too early to draw conclusions from Arkansas’ experience with Medicaid work requirement rules, noting a distinction between Arkansas’ policy and how it ultimately implemented that policy.” [ANCOR note: to date, 12,000 beneficiaries have lost Medicaid coverage following the implementation of work requirements, which has been largely reported to being due to challenges with the reporting requirement.]

• Virginia has submitted its Medicaid Work Requirements proposal. As shared by the Washington Post: “Virginia has submitted its proposed work requirement plan for some Medicaid recipients to the federal government for approval. […] Virginia is already enrolling people into an expanded Medicaid program and coverage will start at the beginning of next year. The work requirement provision won’t go into effect until after the federal government approves it, and Lee said it’s not clear when that will be.”