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ACAP Statement on Medicaid Work Requirements Guidance
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 11, 2018
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515; jvanness@communityplans.net
STATEMENT OF ACAP CEO MARGARET A. MURRAY ON MEDICAID WORK REQUIREMENTS GUIDANCE
WASHINGTON—Margaret A. Murray, Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), today made the following statement on guidance issued today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which would allow states to condition eligibility for Medicaid coverage upon employment:
“The Administration has it backwards. Medicaid helps people who work stay on the job – a job shouldn’t be a requirement for Medicaid. We oppose employment being made a precondition for health coverage.
“Nearly 6 of every 10 adult Medicaid recipients are working already. Of the remainder, the vast majority live with a chronic illness or a disability, serve as a caregiver to a family member, or are in school. Very few Medicaid recipients would run afoul of work requirements.
“Should a state opt to add in work requirements, it would add another layer of red tape and administrative complexity to an enrollment and eligibility verification process that’s more than complex enough already. We’re very concerned that this could lead to people who by all rights should have Medicaid coverage being “churned” off, or disenrolled for reasons having to do with paperwork rather than eligibility. This would lead to dangerous gaps in coverage.
“We share the stated goal of the Administration to improve the lives of the members with low incomes whom we serve and to provide a way to lift them out of poverty. But punishing people for failing to hold down a job isn’t the way to get it done.
“We would suggest instead that the Administration consider exploring services that support efforts to find work, such as job training, interview skills coaching and transportation assistance – and would welcome the opportunity to discuss what our plans have done toward this end with the Administration, such that we can find a better way forward.”
About ACAP
ACAP represents 61 Safety Net Health Plans, which provide health coverage to more than 21 million people in 29 states. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.
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