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Court Challenges May Determine Future of Medicaid Work Requirement

NPR

Virginia does not currently have work requirements for people who receive health insurance through Medicaid expansion. But, that might change after a court challenge this fall.

Eighteen-thousand people in Arkansas lost their health insurance through Medicaid last year after state officials there implemented a work requirement. Virginia is currently negotiating with federal officials about how to implement its work requirement, although for now nobody is being denied access to health care because they don't work 20 hours a week.

“Medicaid is about providing health insurance to low-income people, and these work requirements are not doing that," says Joan Alker at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University.  "They are actually taking away health insurance from low-income people. So they fundamentally conflict with the objectives of the Medicaid program.”

Legal expert Rich Kelsey says the Trump administration is pursuing a shrewd legal strategy.  “The administration is betting that it gets a better ruling on the law and on the discretion given to the secretary in order to craft these work requirement exceptions.”

Next month, the Washington, DC Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments. After that, the challenge is likely to get to the United States Supreme Court. That could end up being a high-stakes moment for people here in Virginia who might end up losing their health insurance as a result of how the case is decided.

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Michael Pope is an author and journalist who lives in Old Town Alexandria.
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