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Alabama is accepting comments on its bid to impose a Medicaid work requirement – a plan that a new report suggests is a no-win for the state. The report predicts any parent following the work requirement under the proposal would earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, yet not enough to pay for private insurance. As a pediatrician in Brewton, Dr. Marsha Raulerson said she’s troubled by the proposal. She said the state has worked hard to achieve a 97 percent insured rate for children. “I’ve been very proud of my state, because we have one of the lowest uninsured rates for children,” Raulerson said. “Proposed work requirements for Medicaid will lead to more parents and children losing coverage; their health will be at risk. Alabama’s done a lot of things right, but this is just wrong.” The report – from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families and Arise Citizens’ Policy Project – found in the first year of the work requirement, about 8,700 people in Alabama would lose their health coverage.

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