Arizona is eighth state to require Medicaid beneficiaries to work or take part in community service

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved its eighth state work or community service requirement as a condition for getting Medicaid benefits.

Arizona's section 1115 Medicaid demonstration project is the first  to include an exemption for members of federally-recognized tribes.

The "Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System" may begin no sooner than January 1, 2020. It requires certain individuals, ages 19 through 49, to engage in qualifying community engagement activities such as employment, job training or community service, for at least 80 hours per month.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Hospitals bear the cost of uninsured patients, and numbers from another state that implemented the work requirement show thousands have lost coverage.

An estimated 17,000 residents in Arkansas lost their benefits after the work requirement was implemented, according to a lawsuit brought by organizations on behalf of former beneficiaries.

TREND

Arizona adopted Medicaid expansion, which covers about 426,000 adults, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Sixty-two percent of adult Medicaid enrollees are already working. An estimated 21 percent of Arizona's population is covered by both Medicaid and CHIP.

Arizona is now the eighth state with approval to operate a community engagement program to incentivize able-bodied adults.
Exemptions are given to pregnant women, beneficiaries who are medically frail and those who are in active treatment for a substance use disorder.

ON THE RECORD

"Medicaid demonstrations like this one empower states to provide health coverage to their citizens while allowing the states the flexibility to tailor their approach to their unique populations," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. "We have long stressed the importance of meaningful tribal consultation when states are contemplating program reforms, and I'm pleased with how this important process informed Arizona's approach to amending its demonstration."

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com