Federal Appeals Court Hears Challenge to Medicaid Work Requirements

On Friday, October 11, three judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia questioned the implementation of work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky’s Medicaid programs. The Administration is arguing that the work requirements promote self-sufficiency, which can lift Medicaid recipients out of poverty. This would result in fewer people depending on the Medicaid program and pushing them to obtain health coverage elsewhere. However, the panel of judges voiced their skepticism about this argument, suggesting that lifting people out of poverty doesn’t advance the objectives of the Medicaid statute. This would be required for the work requirements to be within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) authority to implement. If the courts rule that implementing the work requirements is outside of CMS’ authority to implement, the waivers that allowed for their implementation will be invalidated and future attempts by CMS to authorize similar requirements will be more challenging. A final ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals has not yet been scheduled.

Last Updated on October 15, 2019 by