The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, a nonpartisan legislative branch agency, has expressed concern after learning that thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries in Arkansas lost their health insurance under new work requirements, The New York Times reported.
Eight things to know:
1. More than 4,300 Arkansas residents lost their Medicaid coverage because they did not comply with the program's work requirements for three months.
2. CMS approved the state's request to implement the requirements in March. Under the requirements, Medicaid beneficiaries generally must spend at least 80 hours each month working, training or job searching, going to school full time or volunteering. Those who don't comply for three months face being locked out of Arkansas' program for the rest of the year.
3. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said 43,655 Arkansas residents met the work requirement "through work, reporting activities or having a recognized exemption from reporting." However, 4,353 residents did not meet the work requirements.
"There were some that either found work, moved onto other insurance or moved out of state without notifying [the Arkansas Department of Human Services]," he said. "Some simply chose not to comply. Those are the ones who will lose their Arkansas Works coverage for the remainder of 2018."
4. CMS Administrator Seema Verma reacted to the news, tweeting Sept. 12: "I'm excited by the partnerships that Arkansas has fostered to connect Medicaid beneficiaries to work and educational opportunities, and I look forward to our continued collaboration as we thoroughly evaluate the results of their innovative reforms. #TransformingMedicaid."
5. But members of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, which met Sept. 13 and Sept. 14, expressed concern over the Medicaid recipients who lost coverage. Panel member Christopher Gorton, MD, said, "I hope these data scare the pants off people in Arkansas," according to the report. Panel chairperson Penny Thompson called the data "very concerning" and "very worrisome."
6. According to the NYT, commission member Toby Douglas said federal and state officials should "pause" Arkansas' efforts until there is greater understanding about the lack of responses to notices warning about being kicked off Medicaid.
7. Mr. Hutchinson said the Arkansas Department of Human Services, along with outreach partners, conducted outreach and education efforts including letters, emails, social media posts and phone calls, and "has created processes for those without computers or internet access to get help reporting their activities."
But attorneys for Medicaid beneficiaries said some Arkansas residents did not know the reporting requirements or lacked access to the internet and lost coverage even though they worked or could be eligible for an exemption, according to the report.
8. The commission reportedly plans to obtain more information on Arkansas' Medicaid program and make recommendations.
Read the full report here.
More articles on leadership:
Why Google co-founder Larry Page has disappeared from the public eye
Amazon's Jeff Bezos prioritizes 3 things to be a good leader
Fights over corporate control intensify amid CEO misconduct allegations