Medicaid, Welfare and a Work Requirement

New York Times

22-05-2025

To the Editor:
Re 'If You Want Welfare and Can Work, You Must,' by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mehmet Oz, Brooke Rollins and Scott Turner (Opinion guest essay, May 16):
My successor at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. Oz, and his colleagues claim that taking coverage away from people who don't meet a work requirement will promote work. They are wrong: This policy is a Medicaid cut that will hurt families and our health care system. We know, because they tried this policy during the first Trump administration — and it failed.
Medicaid supports work. When I was the administrator, C.M.S. helped people with disabilities get Medicaid home care so they could get to work. We expanded treatment for mental illness and addiction, which set people on the road to recovery. It's common sense: People who can't get the care they need will have a harder time looking for work or keeping a job.
In 2018, Arkansas' work requirements led to 30 percent of Medicaid enrollees losing coverage, although only 4 percent of Medicaid enrollees were not working, in school or otherwise exempted. The red tape made it harder for everyone to keep health care coverage — and it didn't increase employment.
Medicaid also supports our nation's economy by keeping millions of workers healthy and serving as a safety net for those who can't work. It is crucial to maternal and infant health, keeping our nation's hospitals open and supporting our health care work force. During the Biden-Harris administration, the rate of uninsured was the lowest in U.S. history. Our focus should be making health care coverage more affordable for all Americans.