Low-Income Families with Children Will Be Harmed by South Carolina’s Proposed Medicaid Work Reporting Requirement

South Carolina officials are proposing that very low-income parents and caregivers who qualify for Medicaid fulfill new reporting requirements to show they are working at least 80 hours a month or participating in job- training activities — or face the loss of their health coverage. The state is seeking a Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver from the federal government to implement this plan. If approved, it could mean that many of South Carolina’s poorest parents lose health coverage altogether: They could make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance even if they find new jobs. Or they may lose their coverage as a result of getting tangled up in new reporting requirements.