Kentucky on Tuesday was reapproved to implement its controversial Medicaid work requirements, part of an unprecedented change to the nation's largest health insurance program, The Hill reports.
The Trump administration has approved work requirements in Arkansas, Indiana, and New Hampshire.
Kentucky became the first in the U.S. last January to require many of its Medicaid recipients to work to receive coverage, but a federal judge in June blocked the requirements just days before new rules were set to go into effect, calling the program "arbitrary and capricious."
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar "never adequately considered whether Kentucky HEALTH would, in fact, help the state furnish medical assistance to its citizens, a central objective of Medicaid," wrote U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said in his ruling.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reopened Kentucky's proposal for another round of public comment instead of appealing Boasberg's ruling.
CMS spokesman Johnathan Monroe said the agency "worked diligently to analyze and consider the comments received," reaching the conclusion Kentucky's plan "is likely to promote the objectives of Medicaid."
The change will require adults between the ages of 19-64 to complete 80 hours per month of "community engagement" to keep their coverage. That includes getting a job, going to school, taking a job training course, and community service.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.