The legality of Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirements and other health-care restrictions will be on trial this Friday in DC’s District Court — a case with major national implications. More than a dozen low-income Kentuckians with health problems or family obligations that prevent them from being able to work are suing their Republican governor and the Trump administration for green-lighting the new rules, saying they will be unlawfully booted from the Medicaid rolls as a result. If they fail to convince the judge to enjoin the program, the work requirements, premiums, cuts to dental and vision coverage, and six-month lockout period for those who fail to file their paperwork on time will go into effect in July.
Though the fate of such laws is still up in the air, several other states are moving rapidly to adopt them.