work requirements

“In his first term as president, Donald J. Trump targeted what many Republicans consider blatant welfare waste — a rule that gives food stamps to millions of people with incomes above the usual limit on eligibility.

“Recent proposals from Republican congressional leaders and conservative think tanks would cut Medicaid by taking coverage away from people who don’t meet unnecessary and burdensome work requirements. We estimate that 36 million Medicaid enrollees — including people in every state — could be at risk of losing their coverage under various proposals.”

“As my colleague Edwin Park has explained, capping federal Medicaid payments to states will likely be a key objective for the incoming administration. To lay the groundwork for this radical cost shift, the administration and its allies can be expected to argue that the Medicaid program is riddled with fraud. A leading proponent is Brian Blase, head of the Paragon Health Institute, who is not a fan of Medicaid.

“House Republicans are passing around a “menu” of more than $5 trillion in cuts they could use to bankroll President-elect Donald Trump’s top priorities this year, including tax cuts and border security.