The White House is backing changes to Medicaid in the “big, beautiful” reconciliation bill that would require many beneficiaries to work to get health care coverage.
The policy change, which would cause millions of people to lose Medicaid coverage according to some estimates, has been a sticking point as Republicans negotiate the massive policy bill and attempt to find ways to pay for an extension of President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called work requirements common-sense provisions.
“The president wants to preserve and protect Medicaid for Americans who this program was intended for: the most vulnerable in our society — pregnant women, low-income families, seniors, those who truly need these benefits. And it should be going to people who physically cannot work,” she said during a Monday morning press briefing. “We want to see able-bodied Americans at least working 20 hours per week, whether that’s part time or full time, whether that’s even looking for work or volunteering for 20 hours a week, if they are receiving Medicaid.”
Trending
House Republicans introduced legislation that would require work for some Medicaid recipients: 80 hours of work, community service or educational programs per month for some adults between the ages of 19 and 64 receiving Medicaid.
Work requirements have been a touchy subject among congressional Republicans. While the modifications stand to generate billions of dollars to help offset the cost of the tax bill extension, people will lose healthcare coverage as a result. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the legislation proposed by the Energy and Commerce Committee would increase the number of people without coverage by 7.7 million by 2034 as a result of the Medicaid changes proposed.
House Republicans are also torn over when changes to Medicaid should take effect, with conservatives pushing to implement them faster.
The White House is signaling support at a time when the changes face an uphill battle, particularly in the Senate, where some Senate Republicans have indicated opposition to any cuts to Medicaid. The full House could vote on the bill as soon as Thursday.
—
Violet Jira is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
Author
