South Carolina submitted a formal request to require its Medicaid beneficiaries to meet work requirements to maintain health coverage, according to The Hill.
The application for a new five-year section 1115 demonstration period, submitted June 10, seeks permission from the Trump administration to require that Medicaid beneficiaries work, enroll in a job training program or attend school for an average of 80 hours a month.
Despite hang-ups in the federal court system, the Trump administration has stood behind the work requirements, according to The Hill. Arkansas, the first state to implement and enforce a Medicaid work requirement, saw 18,000 people lose coverage since the regulation took effect in summer 2018. A federal judge has twice blocked the measure.
Under South Carolina's proposal, beneficiaries won't completely lose their coverage for not complying with the rule, and the state won't require them to reenroll in the program if they lose their benefits. Members who don't satisfy the requirements for three months in a row will see their coverage suspended for three months, or until the work requirements are met, according to the report.
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