Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
A federal appeals court has sharply questioned the Trump administration’s work requirements for Medicaid recipients, casting doubt on a key part of a government-wide effort to place conditions on low-income people seeking taxpayer-financed assistance (Source: “U.S. Appeals Court Skeptical of Trump’s Medicaid Work Rules,” Associated Press, October 11, 2019).
All three judges on a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit lobbed hard questions at a Justice Department lawyer defending the policy at a hearing. The administration is appealing after losing the first round before a lower court.
At issue is whether a program created by Congress to provide medical care to the poor can also encourage low-income people to try to move up in society and make that a condition for them to keep getting help.