NYAPRS Note: The US House of Representatives is set to vote on adding work requirements to Medicaid coverage as part of a package of bills to raise the debt ceiling this week. These restrictive requirements will cause millions of people to lose the benefits they rely on for essential services while doing nothing to improve employment rates. We must tell Congress balancing the budget cannot come at the expense of those who are already struggling to make ends meet, many of whom are living with disabilities. You can help by signing the Caring Across Generations petition. See a breakdown from our colleagues at the Bazelon Center below.
Medicaid is an essential program providing free or low-cost health care to people with lower incomes, children, pregnant women, older people, and people with disabilities. People who get health care through Medicaid disproportionately have mental health conditions as well. Over 11 million individuals with disabilities are enrolled in Medicaid, which helps people manage chronic conditions and supports their ability to work.
House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy has introduced a new bill that would add restrictive work requirements to Medicaid. A vote on the bill may come this week – potentially as early as this Wednesday, April 26. Please tell your Representative to vote NO on adding work requirements to Medicaid! Forcing people with disabilities to work to stay on Medicaid makes it more likely that they will lose their health care.
The overwhelming majority of people with disabilities want to and can work. In fact, over 60% of adult Medicaid recipients are already working, and most who work are working full-time. Those who are not working have competing commitments to caregiving or school, or experience barriers to employment such as a lack of accommodations and services for their disabilities.
The proposed new requirements would harm Medicaid recipients. Without accommodations or supported employment services, mental health challenges can make it much harder to get and keep a job. When Arkansas tried imposing work requirements in 2018, 18,000 people lost their health care in just seven months. People with disabilities were disproportionately affected. And Arkansas’ experiment had no impact on employment rates.
The proposed Medicaid work requirements would hurt people with disabilities in every state in the country. They would take away much-needed care for hundreds of thousands of people.
Bazelon joins advocates for people with disabilities and others in opposing adding work requirements to Medicaid. Help us #SaveMedicaid and sign our petition HERE to say NO to Medicaid work requirements.
TAKE ACTION
Help us #SaveMedicaid. Here’s what you can do to join us:
1. Sign our petition HERE to say NO to the work requirement.
2. Share our social media posts on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn @BazelonCenter