After a federal judge blocked work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries in Kentucky, CMS has opened a pathway for the policy.
The agency announced a 30-day federal comment period on the Kentucky plan, giving the Trump administration the opportunity to show how work requirement policies would impact the Medicaid population, Politico reported. The Kentucky court that struck down the policy claimed the administration did not consider the full effects of such policies.
Kentucky health officials are continuing efforts to implement the policy and are working with the Governor’s office, CMS, HHS and DOJ “toward re-approval,” according to documents.
The Trump administration has actively pushed for work requirements in the federal safety-net program, which provides health insurance coverage to nearly 70 million Americans. A recent White House report called the time as “ideal” to implement work requirements, revealing that 17.2 million could be subject to the policies.
Just three states—Arkansas, New Hampshire and Indiana—have enacted work requirement policies for their Medicaid programs after CMS announced it would accept waivers for such programs. However, the first round of reporting by beneficiaries did not go smoothly in Arkansas, after more than 7,000 people failed to report they worked at least 80 hours in June.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."