The current Republican reconciliation bill in Congress would require able-bodied adults covered by Medicaid to prove they work, go to school or do community service for at least 80 hours per month. But critics say the move would lead to a loss of health insurance for millions, even people who qualify for the program.
Katherine Hempstead, senior policy officer with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said if passed, 108,000 adults in Colorado could lose coverage, and that won't get more people back into the workforce.
"When people gain coverage, they are more able to work," she explained. "They can work more hours, they can look for a new job, and you know why? Because they feel better, and they can take medicine to take care of a mental-health issue, or a skin problem, or headaches, or something that was making it very hard for them to work."
The GOP bill aims to cut Medicaid by at least $625 billion to help pay for Trump administration priorities, including mass deportations and extending tax cuts. Republicans say that number can be reached without cutting benefits. But a recent report found that three decades of work requirements for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families had just minor impacts on employment, but dramatically cut benefits.
More than 90% of Medicaid participants who can work already have at least one job, or they are in school, caring for a sick family member, or have a mental or physical disability.
Hempstead said the new bill would add a series of hurdles, including fewer open enrollment days, and end a special enrollment period for the lowest-income participants.
"All things that are turning knobs that are going to make it harder for people to get covered and stay covered," she continued. "And in fact, the Congressional Budget Office is estimating that just the provisions in this bill could cause more than eight million people to lose their coverage. And that is huge."
Hempstead said when people get sick, they will still seek care. But without insurance, many just won't be able to pay. And many hospitals, facing mounting uncompensated care costs, may have to make difficult decisions that impact entire communities.
"Like people on Medicare or people with employer insurance who are trying to access care, and will find that the place that they always used to go to is closed, or is not open as much, or has fewer doctors," she concluded.
Via the Colorado News Connection
