Photo by Mina Rad on Unsplash
Today, Americans for Tax Reform filed comments in strong support of the CMS interim final rule implementing Medicaid work requirements, urging the agency to finalize it as is.
ATR’s comments assert that able-bodied, unemployed adults create a superfluous strain on the Medicaid system, putting its ability to provide for those who need it (and its very existence) in jeopardy, and also that these beneficiaries divert care itself away from the most vulnerable. Thus, implementing work requirements well is essential to the health of the Medicaid program.
The comments praise several exciting provisions in the interim final rule: the medical frailty impairment test, the range of qualifying community engagement activities, and the rule’s broader program-integrity architecture. These provisions will restore the program’s original intent, protect against fraud, and promote self-sufficiency among able-bodied enrollees.
ATR’s comments also push back on claims that this rule will be too burdensome for states to comply with. Instead, the rule allows states to rely on existing SNAP and TANF infrastructure, does not require states to stand up new programs, preserves state discretion, builds in flexibility for states that need more time, and institutes a less-burdensome ex parte verification requirement.
To read ATR’s comments in full, click here or see below.
