Trump administration to appeal ruling blocking Medicaid work requirements

The Trump administration on Wednesday appealed recent rulings that blocked work requirements for some Medicaid enrollees (Source: “Trump administration appeals on Medicaid work requirements,” Associated Press, April 10, 2019).

The rulings last month by Judge James Boasberg in Washington D.C. blocked requirements for “able bodied” adults in Arkansas and Kentucky under which Medicaid recipients either had to work, study, volunteer or perform other “community engagement” activities.

The Justice Department filed notice appealing to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Arkansas also appealed. The Arkansas requirements were already in effect, while in Kentucky they’re a top priority for Republican Gov. Matt Bevin. The work requirements apply to hundreds of thousands of low-income people in both states who gained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.

The Trump administration recently approved similar work requirements in Ohio.

Boasberg had ruled that the Trump administration’s approval of work requirements created numerous obstacles for people trying to get health care, which federal and state officials failed to evaluate or resolve adequately. He questioned whether the state programs were fulfilling Medicaid’s core mission of providing medical assistance.

The administration argues that work promotes health, and officials have said they’ll keep approving such requests from states.