Medicaid Work Requirement Could Hit US State

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Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sander sent a letter and waiver to President Donald Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that, if signed, would allow the state to implement a work requirement for certain Medicaid recipients.

The Full Letter

Dear Mr. Kennedy,

President Trump declared it in his inaugural address: a new American golden age has begun. But our country cannot unleash unprecedented prosperity if able-bodied, childless adults sit on the sidelines. And we won’t slash our deficit if our welfare programs pay people to stay on the sidelines.

Today, I am submitting a waiver on behalf of the State of Arkansas to allow us to implement a work requirement for all able-bodied, working-age recipients of Arkansas’ Medicaid expansion program, ARHOME. Under the prior Trump Administration, Arkansas was successfully implementing a work requirement before federal litigation halted our progress. This new waiver reduces administrative hurdles and other issues for legitimate Medicaid expansion recipients while still achieving our policy goal: to have Medicaid serve as a safety net rather than a poverty trap.

Our goal is never to take services away from those who need it but to help people stand on their own two feet so they don’t have to count on the government. (POPULAR: Angel Studios Reveals Massive February Content Drop)

There are 220,000 able-bodied, working-age adults in Arkansas receiving free healthcare courtesy of the taxpayer, costing us more than $2.2 billion each year – and growing. Of those recipients, estimates show nearly 90,000 have no job. Most Arkansans work hard to pay for their health insurance while these healthy adults do not work at all. That is a backward, broken system.

Work is more than just a steady paycheck. It is a way to build responsibility and learn skills. It is an escape from the compounding problems – crime, fatherlessness, hunger – facing our poorest communities. It is a way to get off the path to poverty and get on the path to prosperity. And with Arkansas’ record low unemployment rate, it’s not hard to find.

President Trump has laid out a clear vision for America: one of smaller government, greater prosperity, stronger families, and better communities. All Americans can contribute to that great future, but not if they are watching from the economic sidelines. I ask that you approve this waiver when you become Secretary and let us get to work.

Respectfully,
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Governor of Arkansas

Pathway To Prosperity Waiver

The waiver reads, in-part:

The amendment would reflect “s lessons learned from the state’s efforts in 2018-2019 to institute work requirements as a condition of maintaining eligibility for Medicaid under the expansion program, then known as ‘Arkansas Works.’ Assessments of Arkansas Works showed that many people did not know whether they were subject to participation requirements and, if they were, what they needed to do monthly to demonstrate compliance.

“Lessons learned include the importance of providing clear communications through multiple means, simplicity in design, and the need for personal interaction rather than over-reliance on technology. Pathway to Prosperity will use data-matching to identify individuals who could
benefit from extra support to reach health and economic goals. (POPULAR: Trump Keeps Major Campaign Promises In First Weeks)

“For nearly 50 years Medicaid covered only the elderly, people with long-term physical or
intellectual disabilities, low-income children, and the parents/caretakers of dependent children
whose household income was near or below the federal poverty level. The Affordable Care Act
(ACA) changed that. A new eligibility group was created to allow states to make able-bodied
working age adults eligible for Medicaid. These individuals are reasonably expected to be
substantially engaged in the workforce. Indeed, many of these individuals are employed,
though most are not working full-time, year-round.”

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