Legislation introduced at the Idaho Statehouse Tuesday would require “able-bodied” adults on the state’s Medicaid program to hold jobs – a mandate that would affect only about 700 people in the Gem State.
Kentucky was the first state to get federal approval to impose work requirements as a condition of getting Medicaid coverage after the Trump administration in January signaled it would consider such waivers. Several other states, including Utah, have applied for similar approval.
In addition to working, Medicaid patients could also qualify if they’re searching for a job or in a job-training program.
Idaho currently restricts eligibility to children in poor families, people with disabilities, poor seniors, and select patients, such as those with breast or cervical cancer. Otherwise, adults only qualify if they have children and make less than 21 percent of poverty-level income, or if they’re a pregnant woman under or slightly above the poverty level.
According to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the state counts about 15,400 “able-bodied” adults on Medicaid – or about 5 percent of the Medicaid population in the state. Of those, the vast majority already have a work requirement because they receive food stamps or are part of financial aid or child care programs. The agency estimates just 700 adults would be affected by the proposal. There were about 78-thousand adults and some 223,000 children on Idaho Medicaid in fiscal year 2017.
The “work requirement” language was added into an existing bill that would set in motion a two-pronged plan that, if approved by the federal government, would give poor, uninsured Idahoans access to federally subsidized health insurance while moving some privately insured patients with expensive medical conditions onto Idaho Medicaid. (Idaho Statesman)
