The federal government says Ohio can join the eight other states that have been given permission to impose work requirements on people in Medicaid expansion.
When it’s implemented, recipients who aren’t over 50, disabled or caregivers will have to prove they’re working 20 hours a week, or are in job training or college, or doing community service. Medicaid expansion advocates includingTara Britton at the Center for Community Solutions have doubted the likelihood of real cost savings.
“We want to make sure that there’s not a detrimental impact to county governments and other community partners because there are going to be implementation costs associated with this,” Britton said.
According to healthinsurance.org, 639,000 Ohioans are covered under Medicaid expansion. The state says 58 percent of them are working. And it’s estimated that 95 percent of those in the program are working or exempt. But the state estimates 36,000 recipients aren’t, and that about 18,000 will eventually lose their Medicaid coverage.
