Washington Post

By: Colby Itkowitz

Describing it as a “blow,” Alex Azar, the nation’s top health official, spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday about a federal judge’s decision to block Medicaid work requirements.

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Critics of the work requirement see the push as part of a public-relations campaign by conservatives to change the narrative around Medicaid from a health-care program to a welfare one. Andy Schneider, a professor of health policy at Georgetown University, wrote in a blog post this week that he believes the administration’s ultimate goal is to undermine a largely popular program and gin up public support for capping federal Medicaid payments to states. Such a move would save the federal government hundreds of billions of dollars, but would also mean millions of low-income Americans losing coverage.

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