Work Requirements Are Bad for Women’s Health

Article here. Excerpt:

'Medicaid is an important lifeline for women. The majority of adults enrolled in it—25 million individuals—are women. This critical program provides affordable health care coverage—including coverage for a range of reproductive health services—for a disproportionate share of women of color, women with low incomes, women with disabilities, single mothers, and women from other underserved populations.

Unfortunately, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is putting millions of women at risk of losing their health coverage with its latest move to dramatically undermine Medicaid as we know it. On January 11, CMS sent a letter to state Medicaid directors announcing a new policy encouraging states to apply “work and community engagement” requirements to some Medicaid recipients. Those subject to the requirement would have to show proof that they work, have looked for work, volunteer, go to school, or participate in a job-training program in order to receive benefits.

The next day, CMS approved an application from Kentucky to impose a mandatory 80-hour-per-month work requirement on current and future Medicaid enrollees. In early February, CMS approved an extension of Indiana’s troubled Medicaid waiver project, which will now also include work requirements. And on Monday, CMS approved a waiver for Arkansas that will allow the state to impose work requirements. CMS’ approvals were unprecedented; the previous administration had rejected state waiver applications to impose similar work requirements.'