Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) has signed legislation that aims to tighten state guidelines for Medicaid assistance, according to a Capitol Media Services report.
The legislation, which the new governor signed March 6, requires Arizona to ask the federal government for permission each year to impose work requirements on those who receive Medicaid and limit Medicaid benefits to five years, according to the report.
"What we're trying to do as states…is to take control in some way and stop incentivizing for those people that use it in that respect...," Sen. Nancy Barto (R-Phoenix) said in the report. "We want to make sure that we're really serving those that are needy."
Currently, federal regulations do not allow states to impose the limits in the new law, according to the report.
CMS has allowed states to seek waivers from their rules. However, the report notes that the federal government has rejected similar requests from other states, so it's uncertain whether they would approve any part of Arizona's request.
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