BREAKING: 3 Arkansans Sue, Calling Medicaid Work Rules Unconstitutional

Source: Talking Points Memo



By Alice Ollstein | August 14, 2018 2:49 pm

Three low-income Arkansans with pre-existing health conditions sued the Trump administration on Tuesday for giving their state the go-ahead to impose strict monthly work requirements on Medicaid and restrict the number of months for which the program will retroactively cover the health expenses of new enrollees. More plaintiffs may join the case in the months to come.

The lawsuit argues that the administration’s decision was arbitrary and capricious. violates the Constitution’s “take care” clause, and breaks with the original purpose of Medicaid by putting thousands of residents at risk of losing their insurance coverage.

The vast majority of Medicaid recipients already work, and most non-working recipients are not able to work, either because of an illness or disability or the scarcity of jobs in their area. Yet the promotion of the rules has been a top priority of the Trump administration, despite data showing that similar requirements in other federal benefits programs failed to increase employment.

In early June, Arkansas became the first state in the nation to implement a Medicaid work requirement, though it was the third to be approved by the Trump administration. The state’s law is also arguably the country’s harshest. If non-disabled beneficiaries fail for three months in a row to prove they are working at least 80 hours each month, they will lose their insurance for the rest of the year. And while the state has the second-worst rate of home internet access in the country, Arkansans can only submit proof of their work hours online.

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/breaking-3-arkansans-sue-calling-medicaid-work-rules-unconstitutional