Trump Admin May Let States Impose Medicaid Work Requirements

United States President Donald J. Trump holds a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Credit: R... United States President Donald J. Trump holds a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Wednesday, February 15, 2017. Credit: Ron Sachs / CNP - NO'WIRE'SERVICE - Photo by: Ron Sachs/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images MORE LESS
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The Trump administration is considering giving states more flexibility in implementing Medicaid, such as allowing states to create work requirements for residents benefitting from that program, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma sent a letter to governors on Tuesday saying that they would work with states on waivers allowing them to make changes to Medicaid implementation, according to the report. The Journal also reported that Price was set to discuss the waivers with governors Tuesday evening.

The letter from Price and Verma did not spell out exactly what program changes would be allowed through the waivers, but signaled that the Trump administration may approve waivers imposing work requirements on some Medicaid recipients, per the Wall Street Journal.

Through waivers, states could narrow eligibility for Medicaid by imposing work requirements and/or moving the bar for what incomes qualify for the program. States could also require Medicaid recipients to pay premiums or co-pays for emergency room visits.

The promise of waivers could bring some Republicans on board with the legislation to repeal Obamacare currently working its way through the House without requiring changes to be made to the bill.

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  1. What a bunch of callous, cruel, sleazy, no-account, classless low-lifes these people are.

  2. Avatar for mjw mjw says:

    Because the way to get an addict back to work is to strip away their rehab coverage.

  3. I know some people who are going to be very unhappy about this.

    One of them is a nephew, big hulking guy, early 30s, with PTSD. Hasn’t been able to get/keep a job because of the PTSD. Trump supporter in MI, so GOP governor. Interested in his reaction to this news.

  4. So grandma in a nursing home may have to push a broom to earn her keep?

  5. There’s little in R plans that is crueler than this.

    Cutting off federal funding for Planned Parenthood — a longstanding conservative goal that is included in the Republican bill to replace the Affordable Care Act — would reduce access to birth control for many women and result in thousands of additional Medicaid births, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

    Because nearly half of all births nationwide are to Medicaid patients, and many of those babies are Medicaid patients themselves, the budget office estimated that defunding Planned Parenthood even for a year would increase Medicaid spending by $21 million in the first year, and $77 million by 2026.

    @katscherger Grandma and her daughter and her newborn grandchild all with different size brooms.

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