Medicaid expansion has garnered interest in a number of states amid recent actions taken by the federal government, according to The Washington Post.
Here are eight things to know.
1. Thirty-two states and Washington, D.C., have expanded Medicaid.
2. A number of Republican lawmakers and governors in nonexpansion states have opposed expanding coverage. However, Republican lawmakers in six states are launching new expansion efforts after President Donald Trump created a way for states to test Medicaid work requirements, according to the report.
3. CMS released policy guidance Jan. 11 for states to test programs that require "able-bodied, working-age adults" to work or take part in other community engagement activities, such as volunteering or skills training, to be eligible to receive Medicaid benefits.
4. At the time CMS released its policy guidance, it said it had received work requirement proposals with employment and community engagement initiatives from 10 states — Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin.
5. Federal officials have already approved Kentucky's request to implement Medicaid work requirements, although the decision is facing a legal challenge from a group of state residents.
6. Now, the Republican governor and a GOP lawmaker in Utah are collaborating on a proposed Medicaid expansion plan with work requirements, according to the report. The Washington Post reported a conservative lawmaker in Idaho is also now more open to possible Medicaid expansion in the state following the recently released guidance for work requirements, and a Republican senator in Wyoming has indicated he is open to looking again at fellow Republicans' Medicaid expansion efforts there.
7. Additionally, according to the report, moderate Republicans in North Carolina, Virginia and Kansas are pushing to look at the issue of Medicaid expansion again.
8. Lawmakers in various states have previously made unsuccessful attempts to expand Medicaid, and it remains to be seen whether there is enough support for Medicaid expansion efforts moving forward.
For more on this story, read the full report here.
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