Why We Shouldn’t Drug Test Poor People
“The Senate Republicans’ stalled effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act is not the only profound threat to our health care system. If Gov. Scott Walker gets his wish, Wisconsin will be the first state that requires adults without children to undergo drug testing if they want to receive Medicaid. Other states could follow his plan. This would tie lifesaving health care benefits to government procedures that force people to submit to degrading invasions of privacy. Of all the ways to help Americans with drug problems, threatening their Medicaid eligibility is among the worst options. Much attention has rightly focused on the Senate bill to reduce federal Medicaid spending by as much as $772 billion over the next decade, which would result in 20 million fewer enrollees. But budget cuts are not the only way to weaken Medicaid and limit access to health care.”