Democrats Balk At GOP Effort To Rein In Medicaid With Work Requirements

Republicans are proposing Medicaid reforms to rein in government spending, but Democrats are presenting a unified front against plans that include tying Medicaid eligibility to work requirements.

In a session that stretched from Tuesday afternoon into the early hours of Wednesday morning, the House Energy and Commerce Committee — responsible for overseeing Medicaid — convened to deliberate on its portion of the budget reconciliation package to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda, according to Politico. House Republicans are seeking to attach work requirements to Medicaid as a means to decrease spending and support the administration’s priorities, but some Democrats are up in arms about conditioning Medicaid eligibility on work.

During the hours-long meeting, Texas Republican Rep. August Pfluger asserted that the work requirements would simply deny coverage to able-bodied adults who choose not to work, according to Politico. Pfluger reportedly asked Democrat Rep. Raul Ruiz of California whether there should be any work requirements for Medicaid eligibility, to which Ruiz reportedly responded, “No. That’s an easy one.”

“What I believe you’re doing, not intentionally, is figuring out every way possible for them not to qualify, either because they can’t fill out the paperwork they don’t know how to do it,” said Democrat Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, according to Politico.

However, Republican health subcommittee Chair Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia stated that any reform to Medicaid will “not touch essential health care services for vulnerable populations,” the outlet reported.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the GOP-proposed federal work requirement — mandating most able-bodied adults without dependents to prove they work, go to school or volunteer — could yield