Working people could still lose health coverage under Medicaid work requirements

New report shows irregular hours could lead working people to lose their Medicaid.
By Dylan Scott@dylanlscottdylan.scott@vox.com Apr 11, 2018, 9:20am EDT

People who work might still be at serious risk of losing their health insurance under new Medicaid work requirements being pushed by the Trump administration, according to a new analysis.

The left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities examined state proposals to require Medicaid to prove they are employed. It came to a startling conclusion: Under these plans, even poorer people on Medicaid who are working regularly might not meet the strict requirements placed on them and could suffer a lapse in health coverage as a result.

That’s because people working lower-wage jobs are more likely to have irregular working hours or gaps in their employment. By CBPP’s estimate, one in four people who worked enough hours over the course of a year to meet Kentucky’s work requirement are still estimated to have at least one month where they fall below the state’s 80-hour monthly requirement, and could therefore be at risk of losing coverage.

In other words: A Medicaid work requirement could force working people to lose their health insurance because it isn’t structured to reflect the realities of what work looks like for people with lower incomes.

More:
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/11/17219196/medicaid-cuts-work-requirement-states-cbpp