Michigan bill forces Medicaid recipients to work 80 hours per month
And Snyder said he's ready to sign the bill.
"Healthy
The bill is not necessarily about saving money for the state, said Sen.
"This is all about finding more workers," he said. "Every business owner I know is searching for workers from the entire spectrum of jobs from the entry level to the high skilled jobs and the richest source of that for us are the able-bodied folks that are covered under Healthy Michigan."
Sen.
"I don't think there is any problem, when you're receiving free health care, for the government to say you need to do a little bit of work in order to receive that. It's what this country was built on, so let's pull up our bootstraps and get to work."
The
But
"This legislation is a twisted joke," said Sen.
Sen.
The bill is a compromise from what was initially proposed, which included a 29-hour workweek requirement and a controversial provision that would allow counties that had unemployment rates of 8.5% or more to be exempt from the work requirements. That would primarily benefit rural counties, but not urban cities such as
That provision was stripped out of the bill, in part, because it would cost the state
The movement toward requiring work for Medicaid coverage is growing across the nation with three states already requiring work for benefits and the administration of President
Medicaid recipients would have to submit reports monthly about their compliance with the new rules, which also allow for the requirements to be met through school, vocational or job training, internships and community service. The requirement is waived for a recipient in substance abuse treatment.
Other changes made in the original bill:
* Making only the people in the Healthy Michigan program -- the 680,000 of the 2.4 million people on the plan -- subject to the work requirements.
* Changing the age of people who must comply from 19-64 to 19-62.
* Giving people a three-month grace period each year in case they are seasonal employees and, as Shirkey put it, "life happens."
* Having the bill take effect on
* Maintaining a 48-month limit on benefits.
Among the people who would be exempt from the work requirements: pregnant women, people ages 19-20 who had been in the foster care system; disabled people and their caretakers; caretakers of a family member under the age of 6; full-time students; the medically frail, and people who have been incarcerated within the last six months.
The new work rules are expected to cost the state at least
Snyder didn't support the original version of the bill, but said last week that the negotiations with the Legislature were on the right track.
Despite Snyder's support, groups advocating for low-income Michiganders still sent letters to the governor urging him to veto the bill when it reaches his desk.
"The 680,000 people who rely on this life-saving health care coverage deserve better than politically charged policies," wrote the
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