NC lawmakers push Medicaid work requirements as patients, advocates and courts push back

Emily Henderson was kicked off of Medicaid last year when she went from making $8 per hour at her job to $10 per hour. The raise put her over the income limit. Her son, who is diabetic, remains covered, but she has to choose more often than not between paying to take care of her own health without insurance coverage and paying her bills.

Her story of losing coverage is one that could become a reality for many more people if Republican lawmakers in the North Carolina General Assembly pass a bill to implement work reporting requirements for “able-bodied” adults who receive Medicaid health benefits.

The current income limits are “already making it difficult,” Henderson said. “They’re handcuffing people to poverty to maintain healthcare,” she continued.

Senate Bill 387 would require current North Carolina Medicaid recipients to work or perform community service for a certain number of hours per week to retain their benefits. The introduction of the measure came within hours of a federal judge striking down similar requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky because they ran afoul of the assistance program’s overall objective.

Read more: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2019/04/04/nc-lawmakers-push-medicaid-work-requirements-as-patients-advocates-and-courts-push-back/