In an attempt to win over those lawmakers, the Republican leadership has offered ideas to restrict coverage even further. One of the worst is a Medicaid work requirement.
That may sound sensible to conservatives who, contrary to evidence, believe that Medicaid receipt discourages work. But it’s a mistake. Not only would this proposal make an already punishing bill even harsher, but it also constitutes an unnecessary add-on that has nothing to do with the purpose of Medicaid.
Most poor people who can work do: A recent study of adults affected by Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, for example, found that 87 percent of able-bodied beneficiaries were working, looking for work or in school.
Of the remaining 13 percent, it found, “three-quarters report they are not working in order to care for family members and the rest report other reasons, like being laid off.” Most other able-bodied people already receiving Medicaid before the expansion are also working, raising the question of what problem, exactly, the proposed requirement is meant to solve.
