Wisconsin Work-Requirement Waiver Approved
On October 31, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Wisconsin’s waiver request to establish a community-engagement requirement (to work, volunteer, or pursue education) for individuals ages 19 through 49 and premium payments for certain Medicaid beneficiaries. Wisconsin is the first non-expansion state to be approved for work requirements, the first state to be allowed to charge premiums to individuals with incomes below the poverty line, and the first state to have a work-requirement approved since a federal court invalidated the approval of Kentucky’s waiver. Individuals exempted from the work requirement include anyone who is “a primary caregiver for a person who cannot care for himself or herself.” CMS denied Wisconsin’s request to impose mandatory drug testing, but approved the state’s proposal to require beneficiaries to complete a health risk assessment that can ask about drug use. Details and FAQs can be found on the website of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
FYI: As Medicaid Work Requirements Spread, More Expected to Lose Health Care
(Governing, 11/5/18)
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