Republican Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan has signed a bill into law that would require certain Medicaid beneficiaries to work or train for work as a condition for staying enrolled in the program.
The bill requires recipients to clock in at least 80 hours a month at a job, training or volunteer work, or otherwise be dropped from coverage. The measure still isn’t final but must go through public comment periods and be approved by federal officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Democrats in the legislature were nearly uniform in opposing the bill.
Beneficiaries are exempt from the program if they are in treatment for addiction, are disabled, pregnant, caregivers, children, over the age of 63, or people deemed medically frail. Participants have to log their hours every month, a process that critics say will be burdensome and cause people to needlessly lose coverage.
But Republicans say that the program offers people an opportunity to leave Medicaid, known as Healthy Michigan in the state, for other types of medical coverage, such as private health insurance.
“Healthy Michigan is designed to provide health care services to those who traditionally have trouble accessing them due to affordability issues,” Snyder said in a post on Medium. “This bill was crafted to ensure the program is serving those most in need, by exempting certain populations and requiring those who are fully capable of working to be actively seeking work or participating in other activities such as job training or community service.”
Several states have already had applications approved for work requirements, including Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, and New Hampshire. A court case is pending over the Kentucky waiver, which would have ramifications for other states.
