On Dec. 12, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved two Medicaid waivers for South Carolina. The first waiver extends Medicaid eligibility to parents and caretakers between 62 and 100 percent of the Federal poverty level, those who are chronically homeless, and those in need of treatment for substance use disorder. The second waiver imposes work requirements on parents and caretakers who are receiving Medicaid coverage, making South Carolina the first state not to participate in Medicaid expansion to impose Medicaid work requirements. The new policy will require these populations to annually certify that they spent 80 hours each month on employment, schooling, or community work to continue receiving Medicaid coverage. Additionally, applicants to the Medicaid program will have to show that they can comply with the work requirements before being approved for coverage. If beneficiaries do not comply with the new work requirements within 90 days, their Medicaid coverage will be terminated. Analysts predict that the work requirements will cause about 14,000 South Carolinians to lose their Medicaid coverage.
Last Updated on May 15, 2020 by Aimed Alliance
