Public News Service

January 31, 2019

As many as 68,000 Tennesseans would be affected by a proposal to require parents who now receive Medicaid to demonstrate that they’re working at least 20 hours a week, according to a new report.  The report from the Tennessee Justice Center and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families is based on research on a similar policy in Arkansas, which led to more than 18,000 adults losing their Medicaid coverage in the first few months.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown Center for Children, says the proposal is unlikely to promote more work, and most likely to affect women. “We know this from research on other programs that have implemented work requirements and the experience of Tennessee’s neighbor Arkansas,” she states. “The practical effects of Tennessee’s proposal will be to take away Medicaid coverage from very poor parents, again, mostly mothers.”

…

Read more here.