Senator Mike Braun (R-Ind.) on Tuesday requested unanimous consent for his Let States Set Medicaid Requirements Act on the Senate floor.
He was joined by Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas).
Braun
This legislation would empower states to set their Medicaid work and community engagement requirements for certain Medicaid recipients.
Indiana’s Gateway to Work program would require 20 hours per month of work, job searching, school, or community service activities for certain able-bodied adults receiving state health coverage, but the waiver was revoked by the Biden administration.
Senator Braun says he believes states should be able to set these standards, and should be able to adapt programs to the particular needs of their communities’ Medicaid enrollees.
Background
The Social Security Act authorizes a framework to allow innovation in the Medicaid program. States are able to use waivers under this framework in a variety of ways, including adding work and community engagement requirements for certain Medicaid enrollees, and implementing innovative service delivery systems.
Since President Biden took office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have revoked several state waivers that were previously approved under the Trump administration.
In April 2021, HHS overturned an approved waiver to extend the Texas’ Medicaid plan for another 10 years, and did so without providing notice or holding a public comment period.
One month prior, HHS notified Arkansas and New Hampshire it was withdrawing approval of demonstration projects which had permitted those states to effectuate work requirements as a condition for Medicaid benefit eligibility.
And again, in July, CMS revoked approval of Arizona and Indiana’s Medicaid work and community engagement requirements.
Indiana’s program – called the Gateway to Work program – would require 20 hours per month of work, job searching, school, or community service activities for certain able-bodied adults receiving state health coverage.
This program allows the Hoosier State to design programs that provide Medicaid enrollees with community engagement activities that can improve their quality of life over the long term.