Work Requirements Won’t Improve Medicaid. A Jobs Guarantee Might.

Source: Work Requirements Won’t Improve Medicaid. A Jobs Guarantee Might., by Vann R. Newkirk II

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued guidance for “state efforts to test incentives that make participation in work or other community engagement a requirement for continued Medicaid eligibility.”

In a series of tweets announcing the policy shift, CMS Administrator Seema Verma explained the agency’s rationale that requiring eligible able-bodied adults to have jobs to qualify for Medicaid will make them healthier and less reliant on welfare in the future. “Our fundamental goal is to make a lasting and positive difference in the health and wellness of Medicaid beneficiaries,” she tweeted. She also cited a 2014 meta-analysis that concluded that “employment is beneficial for health, particularly for depression and general mental health.”

The easiest way to make sure people receive the health benefits of employment could be to employ them.