Judge blocks New Hampshire Medicaid work requirements

A federal judge on Monday blocked Medicaid work requirements in New Hampshire, ruling for a third time that the Trump administration hasn’t adequately addressed the potential loss of health coverage for low-income residents.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington comes four months after he blocked similar work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky.

The judge said “we have all seen this movie before” and criticized U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar for acknowledging the potential impact without analyzing it.

“What does the Secretary think about all this? Does he concur with New Hampshire’s apparent view that coverage loss is going to be minimal, or does he agree with the commenters that is likely to be substantial?” he wrote in vacating the agency’s approval of the rules. “Are the coverage losses in Arkansas likely to be replicated in New Hampshire? We have no idea, since the approval letter offers no hints.”

Read more: https://www.concordmonitor.com/Judge-blocks-New-Hampshire-Medicaid-work-requirements-27357042