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.
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.
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.
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.