CMS provides clarification on Medicaid work requirements

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma yesterday indicated that the agency could consider states’ applications to implement Medicaid work requirements differently if the states have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act when compared with how the agency handles such requests in Medicaid expansion states.

Verma said CMS is concerned that, in non-expansion states, beneficiaries affected by work requirements could risk losing their coverage if their incomes become too high because of the work they are doing to meet the requirements. Verma stated that states need to come up with a plan to address the issue.