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Ohio House Democrats Urge Gov. Kasich to Rescind Harmful Medicaid Work Requirements Proposal

May 25, 2018

Requirements disproportionately impact low-income and African American communities

Washington, D.C. – In a letter, Ohio's U.S. House Democratic Delegation urged Governor John Kasich to rescind employment and community engagement requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries. On February 16, 2018, the Ohio Department of Medicaid proposed a Group VIII Work Requirements and Community Engagement 1115 Demonstration Waiver. The letter was cosigned by Representatives Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Tim Ryan (OH-13), Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11), and Joyce Beatty (OH-03).

"By pushing through a waiver that will have a detrimental impact to majority African American populations, this policy will exacerbate already existing economic and health disadvantages," the Members wrote. "This same disparate treatment – using counties, instead of cities as a baseline – is also present in Ohio's method for determining exemptions for work requirements in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In both cases, the result is unfair for beneficiaries in urban areas with high-unemployment."

"As any steward of taxpayer dollars, we want to retain Medicaid funds for all beneficiaries who truly need the program but this waiver would create needless administrative bureaucracy and red tape that will almost certainly end up accidentally kicking off men and women who truly need and deserve this program," the Members continued.

A full copy of the letter can be found here:

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Issues:Health Care