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“All of these policies that we are seeing are inconsistent with the objectives of Medicaid. They don’t seem to seem to have a legal basis and, as such, our stance is that they should not be approved. And we will work very hard with our partners to make that opinion well known,” said Suzanne Wikle, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy.
Note: This article McClatchy News article appeared in dozens of media outlets across the country.
A CLASP report by Suzanne Wikle was cited in this article about why work requirements for Medicaid will do more harm than good.
As CLASP’s Suzanne Wikle explains, “If proponents of work requirements are serious about helping people find work, they would invest in skill training and workforce development programs rather than increasing red tape and making it harder for people to access health care.”
CLASP statement on the approval of Kentucky's Medicaid waiver request.
CLASP issued this statement on the approval of state waivers allowing Medicaid work requirements. Contrary to CMS’s statements, work requirements as a condition of eligibility for Medicaid will only serve as a barrier to health care for everyday Americans working in low-wage jobs.
"Access to Medicaid makes it easier for people to look for work and obtain employment," says Suzanne Wikle of the Center for Law and Social Policy. "A so-called 'work requirement' does not support work, but instead puts a critical support for work at risk."
“If proponents of work requirements are serious about helping people find work, they would invest in skill training and workforce development programs rather than increasing red tape and making it harder for people to access health care,” said a statement from Suzanne Wikle, senior policy analyst at the liberal Center for Law and Social Policy.
Suzanne Wikle's blog post was cited in this article: "More than half of states have taken the Affordable Care Act option to expand Medicaid coverage to more low-income parents and childless adults. But some states are trying to move in the opposite direction — not only turn down the option to expand coverage but put obstacles in the way of very low-income parents who are eligible for Medicaid coverage on a mandatory basis."
CHIP funding expired in September. States can’t just flip an “off switch” when they run out of federal funds. They need to plan months in advance in case Congress doesn’t act.
Health insurance is a key work support and tool that provides working-age adults with access to health care—helping them get and keep jobs.