President Trump opens the way for Medicaid work requirement

Washington DC — In a major policy shift that could affect millions of low-income people, the Trump administration said Thursday it is offering a path for states that want to seek work requirements on Medicaid recipients.

Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said work and community involvement can make a positive difference in people’s lives and in their health.

Still, the plan probably will face strong political opposition and even legal challenges over concerns people would lose coverage.

Medicaid is a federal-state collaboration covering more than 70 million people, or about 1 in 5 Americans, and that makes it the largest government health insurance program.

It was expanded under President Barack Obama, with an option that has allowed states to cover millions more low-income adults; many have jobs that don’t provide health insurance.

People are not legally required to hold a job to be on Medicaid, but states traditionally can seek federal waivers to test new ideas for the program.