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Many people with disabilities risk losing their Medicaid if they work too much

Iowa resident Zach Mecham, a 31-year-old with muscular dystrophy who uses a ventilator and wheelchair and runs a marketing business, faces a dilemma because he relies on Medicaid for support services not covered by private insurance, but must limit his income to maintain eligibility.
Because Medicaid is jointly financed by federal and state governments and serves millions of low-income Americans and those with disabilities, several states, including Iowa, are considering bills to address the income and asset caps that can discourage work and marriage.
Iowa's proposed "Work Without Worry" bill, modeled after a Tennessee law, aims to remove these caps, allowing people with disabilities to earn more without losing Medicaid, while requiring them to pay 6% of their income as premiums, a change supported by disability rights advocates and some Republicans who see it as aligning with both parties' goals.
State Representative Carter Nordman stated, "This aligns with things both parties are aiming to do," while Zach Mecham, who has been lobbying for the bill, said, "This is such a convoluted system that I have to navigate to build any kind of life for myself."
The proposed changes could ease worker shortages, particularly in rural areas where the working-age population is shrinking, and are viewed by some as "common sense and good policy," potentially offsetting program costs through premiums and increased tax revenue from increased employment, although enrollment in Medicaid buy-in programs is currently relatively low nationwide with fewer than 200,000 people covered.

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Radio Iowa

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Many people with disabilities risk losing their Medicaid if they work too much

Disability rights advocates say income and asset caps for Medicaid buy-in programs are a "poverty trap" for millions of Americans.

7 days ago

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kffhealthnews.org

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Many People With Disabilities Risk Losing Their Medicaid if They Work Too Much

PLEASANTVILLE, Iowa — Zach Mecham has heard politicians demand that Medicaid recipients work or lose their benefits. He also has run into a jumble of Medicaid rules that effectively prevent many people with disabilities from holding full-time jobs. “Which is it? Do you want us to work or not?” he said. Mecham, 31, relies on the public insurance program to pay for services that help him live on his own despite a disability caused by muscular dyst…

8 days ago

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nkytribune.com

Medicaid work requirement changes could further depress Kentucky communities - NKyTribune

By Nadia Ramlagan Public News Service Some Kentucky lawmakers want to make it mandatory for some Medicaid participants in Kentucky to work, but experts say that would disproportionately affect people with mental health or substance use disorders. House Bill 695 would require able-bodied adults with no dependents to work 20 hours a week – and prove it – to receive health care. Kentucky currently has a voluntary program, with job training and oppo…

8 days ago

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