KY governor threatens to withdraw Medicaid expansion if new work requirements blocked

[K1052]

Gov. Matt Bevin has issued an executive order that would strip Medicaid coverage from nearly half a million Kentuckians should his proposed overhaul of the federal-state health plan be struck down in court.

No one has filed a legal challenge to Bevin's changes to Kentucky's Medicaid program that federal authorities approved Friday.

But several advocacy groups have said some of the changes — such as requiring some "able-bodied" adults to work or volunteer at least 20 hours a week — likely will be challenged in court because they violate federal law that establishes Medicaid purely as a health program and does not authorize work requirements.

https://www.courier-journal.com/sto...vin-plan-courts-approve-lose-care/1036514001/

Directly threatening about half a million citizens of your state with losing their health coverage because of something that they have no control over is an...interesting approach.

 

[theeedude]

Well, if they don't like it, they can throw Republican bums out. Until then, they should enjoy loss of insurance and hospital closures. Elections have consequences.

 

[Jhhnn]

Posturing atop a heap of supposed moral superiority is the GOP way. If they all showed up to work he'd really be screwed because he probably has little intention of organizing work for them to do.

 

[theeedude]

Electing Republicans can be hazardous to your health.

 

[dainthomas]

Have they ever tried just not being poor and unemployed?

Yet another case of conservatives being unaware of their own hypocritical behavior. In this case, Bevin implying other people are worthless leeches on the government.

 

[Pens1566]

Fine. Enjoy a lot of hospital closures and shortage of doctors. Let them suffer the consequences.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Would this increase in cheap labor, offset the advanced automation projects that are going on? Staff all McD's with Medicaid recipients? What about Walmart, aren't they already staffed that way? I mean, why bother paying them at all, now, just tell them that they have to work 20hrs/week to keep their health insurance.

It really seems like the Republicans want to establish the USA as a third-world plantation-state.

 

[UNCjigga]

Hopefully the KY governor will at least use some KY jelly before he f**ks his own constituents in the ass.

 

[Ajay]

I guess compassionate conservativism is dead, dead, dead.

 

[fleshconsumed]

I think this is the pinnacle of ideology wars. I'm curious where KY voters will fall in the upcoming elections.

 

[UglyCasanova]

If able bodied what’s the opposition to requiring at least some volunteer work? Sometimes jobs can’t be found, I get that, but what’s the arguement against requiring volunteer work?

 

[Victorian Gray]

If able bodied what’s the opposition to requiring at least some volunteer work? Sometimes jobs can’t be found, I get that, but what’s the arguement against requiring volunteer work?

You want someone to work, then you pay them a standard wage just like everybody else.

 

[fleshconsumed]

If able bodied what’s the opposition to requiring at least some volunteer work? Sometimes jobs can’t be found, I get that, but what’s the arguement against requiring volunteer work?

What if there is not enough volunteer work around? What if there is no work within reasonable distance? What if they don't have a car to get to where the work is? What if they have little kids and the work won't allow for flexible hours?

Bottom line is that you either accept that a certain percentage of people who genuinely need help get cut off, or you spend more money that could be used to provide benefits to ensure that nobody falls through the cracks instead.

 

[UglyCasanova]

There’s no such thing as not enough volunteer work around. Go read stories to kids at the library for all that it matters. There is always litter that needs to be picked up. If the state supplied the materials paint some poor peoples houses. Who knows what, but there is always something that could be done. What’s wrong with requiring doing that in exchange?

 

[UglyCasanova]

You want someone to work, then you pay them a standard wage just like everybody else.

Not sure how the math comes out but the value of the state benefits received (not just Medicaid) for hour of volunteer work isn’t zero.

 

[jmagg]

I agree its perfectly fine for able bodys to be assigned work, to help pay for health benes.

 

[MomentsofSanity]

This might be helpful given some of the arguments being made.

The plan calls for most Medicaid recipients who are not disabled and aged 19 to 64 to work at least 20 hours a week, beginning in July. In addition to paid jobs, they could meet the requirement through volunteer work, job training, searching for a job, taking classes or caring for someone elderly or disabled.

Pregnant women, full-time students, primary caretakers of dependents and the chronically homeless will be exempt from the work requirement, as will people deemed medically frail. But the Bevin administration still expects about 350,000 people to be subject to the requirement, which will be phased in around the state starting in July. About half of them already meet it, according to the administration.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/health/kentucky-medicaid-work.html

 

[Victorian Gray]

Not sure how the math comes out but the value of the state benefits received (not just Medicaid) for hour of volunteer work isn’t zero.

You want people to work, pay them a standard wage.

 

[hal2kilo]

Not sure how the math comes out but the value of the state benefits received (not just Medicaid) for hour of volunteer work isn’t zero.

Are there no work houses?

 

[UglyCasanova]

You want people to work, pay them a standard wage.

They are getting paid via all of the benefits they receive. I would highly imagine the benefit cost received per hour of volunteer service performed meets or exceeds the minimum wage.

 

[K1052]

My suspicion is that either the governor will designate sufficient groups as eligible who won't be able to meet the requirements in order to drop them from the rolls or that the cost of implementing a legit system to administrate this will greatly exceed any savings. With minimal Federal oversight I'd expect it to be the former.

 

[K1052]

n/m

 

[feralkid]

Well, if they don't like it, they can throw Republican bums out. Until then, they should enjoy loss of insurance and hospital closures. Elections have consequences.

Not everyone in Kentucky voted for him.

 

[dainthomas]

My suspicion is that either the governor will designate sufficient groups as eligible who won't be able to meet the requirements in order to drop them from the rolls or that the cost of implementing a legit system to administrate this will greatly exceed any savings. With minimal Federal oversight I'd expect it to be the former.

Yep, just like drug test requirements. It isn't about the money, it's about the best way to eff the poors.

 

[theeedude]

Sick people might, but I don't think healthy people are going to work 20 hours a week for health insurance. They are simply going to go to ER when they get sick. Of course then the local hospital will end up eating the full unreimbursed ER cost and passing it on to Kentucky paying customers, insurers, and employers, instead of the Federal government paying 90% and state government paying 10% of cheaper and more effective preventative and routine care. So from bird's eye view, Kentucky will be getting less federal money, with local health consumers making up for it with higher costs.