IN – Medicaid Work Requirement Added to Waiver Request

June 2017 ~

Indiana is the most recent of the six states that are seeking the addition of a work requirement to Medicaid eligibility waiver request. Additionally, the state’s amendment request seeks renewal of its Medicaid expansion model, Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP 2.0) for three more years.

If approved, the plan would require participants to submit weekly logs evidencing the hours worked or seeking employment. In order to be eligible for the program, the state would require all able-bodied HIP members to either:

• work on average 20 hours per week;
• be enrolled in full-time or part-time education;
• or participate in a job search and training program in Indiana.

Five other states (Maine, Kentucky, Arizona, Florida, and Ohio) have announced similar plans to add work requirements to their state Medicaid programs.

Indiana is hopeful that the state will see a decrease in healthcare costs if the request is approved. “In general, employed individuals are both physically and mentally healthier, as well as more financially stable, as compared to unemployed individuals,” the amendment states.

Source(s): Modern Healthcare; Indy Star; Vincennes University;