The Department of Justice has appealed a federal judge’s decision to strike down requirements in Kentucky and Arkansas that certain Medicaid beneficiaries work in order to receive government healthcare.
The case will go before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia after being struck down March 27 by Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, an appointee of former president Barack Obama.
At issue are rules the Trump administration approved in the states obligating some people to work, volunteer, or take classes for 80 hours a month to be allowed to remain on Medicaid.
The rules don’t apply to caregivers, parents, and people undergoing treatment for serious illness, but plaintiffs say they are illegal and do not serve the purpose of Medicaid, which is jointly funded by states and the federal government.
Plaintiffs argue that the rules can be difficult to follow, with people often not knowing they are supposed to log their hours, lacking access to the internet to keep track of their work, or living in places with crippling unemployment.
Boasberg agreed with the plaintiffs, ruling that the primary purpose of Medicaid was expanded under Obama’s healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, to deliver healthcare to all low-income people.
Previously, states varied in who they made eligible for Medicaid, but generally only pregnant women, people with disabilities, children, and older adults were permitted to enroll. The Trump administration believes only these groups should be the focus of the program, rather than adults capable of work, and it opposes the changes Obamacare made to Medicaid.
The Trump administration’s argument is that Medicaid could go beyond providing healthcare coverage and instead, through work requirements, help beneficiaries improve their lives by earning more money and securing private health insurance coverage. It notes that people who work are healthier and improving health is another goal of Medicaid.
Several other states are considering starting Medicaid work programs or seeking permission from the Trump administration to start them. Since Boasberg’s ruling, the Trump administration has approved a work plan in Utah.
Arkansas was the first and only state to enact its Medicaid work rules. Last year, 18,000 people either failed to work or failed to report their work for three months and were cut off from Medicaid for the rest of the year. Kentucky’s program, which was set to start this summer, had been struck down by Boasberg before.
