Washington Post

By: Colby Itkowitz

Thousands of low-income people living in Arkansas could today be stripped of their health-care coverage — some without any idea they’re going to lose it. The state is the first in the nation to begin phasing in work requirements for so-called “able-bodied” adults receiving Medicaid, the health program for low-income people. And how Arkansas implements the new rules could serve as a test of whether they can be effectively applied in other states that want to do the same.

…

One big problem, say observers, is that Arkansans at risk of being kicked off Medicaid may not even be aware their coverage is at risk. Most of the correspondence about the looming reporting requirements were sent by regular mail, and there was no further outreach to ensure people received and understood what was coming. (See the letter here.) Some recipients may not have been able to properly read the letter or they could have limited access to a computer or the Internet — all the reporting has to be done online. “It’s clear from the data that folks on the ground don’t know what is going on,” Joan Alker, a professor at Georgetown University, told me. “First of all, there’s almost nobody who is newly reporting work activities.”

…

Read more here.