Ohio Medicaid Work Requirements OK'd, as Legality of Similar Programs Questioned

This is the eighth state to secure such an approval. Nine more have requests pending.

As a federal judge considers whether Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky are legal, the Trump administration approved new work requirements Friday for the Medicaid program in Ohio.

The Buckeye State is the eighth in the nation to secure approval for such requirements, but nine others also have pending requests for similar undertakings. The trend reflects what proponents describe as a push to put more control into the hands of state governments while helping people rise out of poverty and what critics describe as an effort to reduce the number of Medicaid beneficiaries.

Gov. Mike DeWine praised the development and said his state's Medicaid work requirements will strike a balance between nudging people toward employment and maintaining healthcare access.

"They are intended to put those able-bodied adults served by the Medicaid expansion on a pathway to full employment,"DeWine said in a statement. "Our next step is to focus on connecting Medicaid expansion recipients with opportunity. The opportunity to grow, to learn new skills, and to engage with their community."

Lt. Gov. Jon Husted said in the statement that these programs should aim "to give Ohioans the opportunity to live up to their God-given potential and pursue their own version of the American dream."

The news drew praise from Ohio-based free-market think tank The Buckeye Institute.

"With the approval of Ohio's waiver, it is now the responsibility of the state to develop a system that allows Medicaid enrollees to easily report their time working, and that ensures no one deserving of services is kicked-off the roles due to an overly cumbersome reporting process," said Rea S. Hederman Jr., the institute's vice president of policy and executive director of the Economic Research Center, in a statement.

The Ohio Hospital Association said it shares the state government's aim of promoting financial independence and preparing Medicaid beneficiaries to transition to commercial insurance, but it hopes the change won't needlessly interrupt Ohioans' access to care.

"Anything that disrupts coverage disrupts access, and we want to assure that beneficiaries are not in constant transition, on and off the program, which would ultimately add confusion, complexity and cost to the system," the OHA said in a statement. "We will continue to work with patients and Ohio Medicaid to implement this program."

Ohio's approval comes a day after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released new tools and guidance to help states document and assess their Section 1115 demonstration waiver programs.