Democrats have strongly opposed the Medicaid work requirement provision, saying it won’t incentivize people to get a job and will drive up the number of uninsured in the country.
It’s one of dozens of provisions tucked into a GOP bill that would allow for an increase in the debt limit but curb government spending over the next decade. The bill is unlikely to become law, though. It is being used by House Republicans to draw Democrats to the negotiating table and avoid a debt default.
The requirements would also be more equitable for those who are working to support their families, said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. About 1 in 4 people who were required to work lost coverage during Arkansas’ experience with work requirements in 2018. Amy Shaw, 39, of Rochester, New Hampshire, lost her family’s Medicaid coverage in April because of her husband’s 50-cent raise to $17 per hour at an auto parts store. Shaw wouldn’t be subject to the GOP’s work requirement because she has two daughters, but the family’s case illustrates how modest incomes can push people out of Medicaid coverage — and cost them big time.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the requirements would save $109 billion over the next decade. Those savings would come in two ways: from about 600,000 people who would be dropped from Medicaid, then 900,000 who would lose federal funding for their Medicaid, but remain enrolled in the program through their state.WHAT’S NEXT?
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