For Kentucky Medicaid members facing loss of coverage for not meeting a newly instated work requirement, the state said members can regain coverage by passing a health literacy course, The Boston Globe reports.
Earlier this month, federal officials approved Kentucky's request to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients. The request requires adults between the ages of 19 and 64 complete at least 80 hours each month of "employment activities" including work, job training and community service.
One option to regain coverage for members affected by this new restriction is passing a health and financial literacy class, according to the report. The class may comprise instruction on chronic disease management, weight management, household budgeting and opening a checking account, Kristi Putnam, a manager for Kentucky's Medicaid program, said. To complete the courses, participants will have to pass tests.
Some health policy experts spoke against the measure. Atul Gawande, MD, a surgeon and a healthcare researcher at Boston-based Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told the publication, "Requiring people to pass a health literacy course to get care — care for conditions that might prevent them from passing — is just expensive, punitive, and cruel."
However, Kentucky Medicaid officials argue the courses and work requirements will help "empower individuals to improve their health."
For the full report from The Boston Globe, click here.
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