We have been reading the comments that were publicly submitted to CMS on Indiana’s request to add a work requirement to its Medicaid waiver, known as Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0. This one jumped out at me:

“I live in Indiana and rely on HIP 2.0 for my health insurance. I suffer from Bi-polar Disorder which has made it difficult to find and keep a job in recent years. HIP allows me to receive essential medication and therapy to help me get better. If a work requirement is imposed I will lose coverage and have to rely on an overburdened charity care system. A work requirement is just another way to kick people off of Medicaid. These people will still need medical care and either die, use emergency rooms, or go bankrupt. Keep the program as is. No work requirement!”

Indiana is not the only state applying for work requirements  – at last count Kentucky, Arkansas, Utah and Arizona also had pending requests.