Issue: Kentucky was the first state approved to implement a work requirement for adult Medicaid beneficiaries. A federal judge blocked implementation right before it was scheduled to take effect, but the program may be reinstated on appeal.
Goal: To examine several aspects of Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirements, including awareness and current work activities among Medicaid beneficiaries, and the potential impact of the policy on employment and health insurance.
Methods: Findings from telephone surveys of 500 low-income Kentuckians and 1,501 low-income Arkansans, ages 19 to 64, conducted in late 2018.
Key Findings and Conclusions: Nearly half (46%) of Kentuckians enrolled in Medicaid said they had not heard anything about the state’s plans for a new work requirement. Minorities and those with less education were less likely to have heard about the policy. Eighty percent of low-income Kentuckians reported they were unsure whether the requirement was in effect, and only 8 percent knew the policy was not in effect. Nearly all adults in Kentucky Medicaid surveyed were already working or otherwise meeting the state’s proposed work requirements. The survey found similar results in Arkansas, which implemented work requirements in 2018 and experienced higher uninsured rates, no increase in employment, and substantial confusion. (author abstract)