Trump Clears Path for States to Require Employment for Medicaid
- Obama had blocked states from imposing work requirement
- ‘Medically frail’ and pregnant women exempt from requirement
Under the Affordable Care Act, states were permitted to expand their Medicaid programs for low-income individuals at or near the poverty line, providing health insurance to those who would struggle to afford coverage even with tax subsidies provided under the law.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
The Trump Administration moved Thursday to allow states to impose work requirements on their Medicaid programs for the first time, the latest alteration of the nation’s health-care system through administrative action after Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare failed last year.
The change will allow states to craft programs that would require Medicaid recipients to prove they are working, training for a job, or volunteering in their communities, according to guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.