A public policy group is raising concerns about state lawmaker’s decision not to include funding for education on new Medicaid work requirements as part of the state budget.
In January, Michigan medicaid beneficiaries will be subject to new work requirements.
An estimated quarterof Medicaid recipients in the state could lose coverage due to the new requirements - not because they aren’t eligible but because they won’t know how to navigate the added paperwork.
Alex Rossman is with the Michigan League for Public Policy. He said there were plans to educate residents about the new work requirements - but funding for that education never materialized.
“It’s unfortunate that this funding was not included because it really, in my perspective, conveys that the legislature is okay with some of these coverage losses,” Rossman said.
The Governor had requested roughly $10-million in order to conduct an education program. Earlier this week, the Governor approved legislationto ease those work requirements somewhat by giving Medicaid recipients a sixty day window to verify they are meeting work requirements if they miss a reporting date. Recipients are expected to report that they are meeting work requirements on a monthly basis.
Rossman said the work requirements are a bad policy to begin with - but he said, now there appears to be no effort to enact the policy in a responsible way.
“It seems to be a partisan intent with this policy and really it’s another way to undermine and sabotage the Affordable Care Act,” he said.
Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield did not responded to our request for comment.