Ohio officials unveil plan for Medicaid work requirements

State Medicaid officials on Friday released details of Ohio’s request to federal regulators to require most non-disabled adults on Medicaid to work or risk losing health insurance (Source: “Work requirements would affect 1 in 20 Ohio Medicaid recipients,” Columbus Dispatch, Feb. 16, 2018).

About one in 20 low-income Ohioans who gained tax-funded health insurance through Ohio’s Medicaid expansion will need to find a job or face the loss of coverage under proposed new work requirements.

Most Medicaid enrollees, state officials say, already have a job or would not be required to work due to age, chronic conditions or other exemptions.

Greg Moody, director of Gov. John Kasich’s Office of Health Transformation, said most of the 700,000 who gained Medicaid coverage through an expansion are working. And, most of those who are not would be exempt from the requirement, he said. The remaining 5 percent — about 36,000 enrollees — will need to find a job or face loss of coverage.