Campaign Action
Judy Solomon, Vice President for Health Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, catches a Medicaid waiver proposal from Alabama's Republican Gov. Kay Ivey that would impose work requirements on a population that even Kentucky didn't include in its waiver: parents and care-takers.
Medicaid is seeking approval of a Section 1115 Demonstration project to require unemployed or underemployed able-bodied Parents or Caretaker Relatives (POCRs) to become gainfully employed, or participate in employment related activities such as: job search, training, education, vocational or volunteer opportunities to enhance their chances of full employment.
How many people does this potentially affect? Solomon estimates 75,000 parents. What makes it so much worse is what else she notes in her tweet:
"Its eligibility level for parents is 18% of the poverty line which is $3,740 a year for a family of 3. (That's not a typo -$3,740 a year)"
That's right, you have to make less than $3,740 A YEAR to qualify for Medicaid in Alabama as a family of three. And there are 75,000 people who qualify. Alabama expects a 20 percent drop in parents participating in Medicaid in five years, about 17,000 individuals.
Because being poor in Alabama wasn't already miserable enough.