Spreading the word on Medicaid work requirement proves challenging
"She had no idea that this is even going into effect," said Glynn.
The new work or community engagement requirement kicked in as of
(A full list of all the DHHS outreach efforts is available with this article at unionleader.com.)
Despite those efforts, the message may not be reaching all of its intended recipients: the 50,000 Granite Staters enrolled in Granite Advantage.
People like Glynn, who was on expanded Medicaid until
She works three different jobs for three different non-profits, and as of
In her job as community engagement coordinator with Granite State Progress, she comes in contact with people on Granite Advantage, and has found many to be vaguely informed or not informed at all about the work requirement.
"I'm extremely nervous about how they are going to roll it out and hold everyone accountable because communication with (DHHS) has never really been that great," says Glynn.
"I just worry about the people who have not been properly informed losing their coverage. I'm privileged to be able to work in environments where these are things that are brought to my attention on a regular basis," she said.
She points out that many of the people on expanded Medicaid are suffering from mental illness or struggling with addiction, couch surfing to survive, and not in a position to consistently receive mail, let alone access a computer or phone.
Not the stereotype
"I'm a moderately intelligent person," she said. "I've received schooling, and definitely don't fit the stereotype a lot of people have about people on Medicaid. I definitely meet the 100 hour a month requirement through self-employment, but I have no idea how I'm supposed to report it. I don't know who I send it to. It's disconcerting."
MacQuarrie is fairly confident she'll be able to figure it out, even though the requirements for reporting self-employment are a bit more complicated than for so-called "W2 employees."
"The people who don't know any better, who are doing the best they can to survive, maybe need an interpreter, are not going to have any idea about this," she said.
With
The bill cleared both the
Letters went out
Letters from DHHS went out on
Those receiving the letters have a
Much of the concern about people losing coverage stems from the experience of
"
One of the biggest problems with the
"KFF interviews with Arkansas Medicaid enrollees subject to the work rules found a widespread failure to communicate effectively with enrollees," he wrote. "Of focus group participants, most who lost coverage were only vaguely aware of the requirements or said they could not successfully navigate the reporting procedures."
Waiting, watching
The work requirements in
Meanwhile, people like MacQuarrie, in recovery from surgery to deal with a congenital heart condition, live with the uncertainty.
"Medicaid expansion is what allowed me to survive. Without it, I could not have had that surgery," she said. "I would have been stuck in a perpetual cycle of poverty, without any way of working my way out and becoming self-sufficient."
___
(c)2019 The New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.)
Visit The New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, N.H.) at www.unionleader.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Latest: Airbus is ready for autonomous planes; are you?
McArdle: Why Does Bernie Insist He’s A Socialist?
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News