Catholic News Service

By: Mark Pattison

Ever since the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 — longhand for “welfare reform” — became law, the federal government has imposed work requirements for adults receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families money.

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Andy Schneider, a research professor at the Center for Children and Families in Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute, suggested that when it comes to Medicaid coverage, the question is not germane. “To get to the chase here, it’s not about encouraging people to work. It’s not about providing work supports like transportation or child care. That’s not what Medicaid does,” Schneider told Catholic News Service.

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“Requiring people to work is not what Medicaid as a health insurance program does. It’s not the purpose. It was not designed to do it. It doesn’t provide and funds for work support,” he said. And trying to do so, Schneider added, is like trying to put “mashed potatoes into a Popsicle mold.”

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