Assignment On AHCA Medicaid Work Requirement Policy

To: Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH From: Liza Rebold Date: 11/11/2017 Re: Advisement on AHCA Medicaid Work Requirement Policy North Carolina should not adopt a work requirement for able-bodied adults (ABAWDs) to its Medicaid program. States that expanded Medicaid have seen effective outcomes by providing needed care to uninsured people whose health conditions have been barriers to employment. 2017 data shows that in NC, 80% of adults on Medicaid live in a family with at least one worker and 48% are currently working without being required to do so as a condition of coverage. The purpose of mandating a work requirement for Medicaid is to offset the work disincentives that come with such social assistance programs while continuing to diminish†¦show more content†¦Further, the NC Justice Center found that employment does not even keep people out of poverty. Nearly two and a half million North Carolinians who have a job are still earning poverty-level incomes. Work requirement will leave vulnerable individuals without needed resources Exemptions from the work requirement for Medicaid are limited, given only to the permanently disabled (on SSI or SSDI), pregnant, the sole parent of a child younger than age six or disabled, or those who are under 20 and still in school. According to the Health Affairs Journal, 11 million Medicaid enrollees could be a risk of losing coverage under this policy. 29% of Medicaid enrollees report they are not working because they are caring for a family member, 33% have an uncovered disability, 5% have a temporary health problem, and 17% are going to school. These subcategories of individuals are put at a disadvantage through the work requirement policy. Through the same report, it is found that 30% of those at risk for losing health care lack a high school diploma; those with limited education already have sparse employment prospects, and the proposal essentially disincentives further education to begin with. Additionally, 63% would be women, who are already more likely than