Reuters (5/10, Rapaport) reported that states which “require adults on Medicaid to work a set number of hours to get benefits may find many people lose coverage because behavioral health conditions and other chronic health problems make it hard for them to work,” according to a study published in Health Affairs. Data show only “23 percent of people with serious mental illnesses worked at least 20 hours a week, while only 43 percent of people with substance use disorders achieved this minimum number of work hours.” Among recipients “with both mental illness and substance use issues, only 32 percent worked at least 20 hours a week.” Meanwhile, “almost half of Medicaid enrollees without any identified health problems worked at least 20 hours a week.”
Related Links:
— “Medicaid work rules likely to penalize chronically ill: study, “Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, May 10, 2019