Kentucky received the green light Friday to require many of its Medicaid recipients to work in order to receive coverage.
The Bluegrass State thus becomes the first state to act on the Trump administration’s unprecedented change that could affect millions of low-income people receiving benefits.
Under the new rule, adults age 19 to 64 must complete 80 hours of “community engagement” per month to keep their care. That includes working a job, going to school, taking a job-training course or volunteering.
“There is dignity associated with earning the value of something that you receive,” Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin said. “The vast majority of men and women, able-bodied men and women … they want the dignity associated with being able to earn and have engagement.” – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]The Trump administration on Thursday said it would allow states to require that Medicaid enrollees hold a job, volunteer, or enroll in classes.
The provisions for people who receive government-funded medical coverage through Medicaid, which were not allowed under the Obama administration, are often dubbed “work requirements” and are being referred to by the administration as “community engagement.”
The guidelines would allow states to require that some Medicaid enrollees hold a job, participate in volunteer work, or enroll in classes or work training for a certain number of hours each week. States could choose to include caregiving for a disabled child or elderly adult as meeting the requirement.
“This is in response to proposals we are receiving from states. It is entirely optional for states,” Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a phone call with reporters Wednesday. “This is in no way a requirement.”
The guidance contains numerous exemptions, and states cannot enact programs until they are approved through a waiver by CMS. Medicaid recipients would not need to abide by the stipulations if they are elderly, disabled, children, or pregnant. It also allows states to determine that specific populations are medically frail, such as providing exemptions for people who are undergoing treatment for an opioid addiction. – READ MORE
[contentcards url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/13/kentucky-to-add-medicaid-work-requirement-first-state-to-follow-trump-plan.html” target=”_blank”]