Columbus, OH –The Buckeye Institute filed public comments with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services supporting Ohio’s 1115 Medicaid Work and Community Engagement Waiver application that, if approved, will allow the state to implement work and education requirements for healthy adult Ohioans younger than 55 who receive Medicaid benefits.

“Medicaid work and education requirements, which only apply to healthy working-age adults, help people stay connected to the workforce and find good paying jobs,” said Rea S. Hederman Jr., vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute. “The lifetime earnings for Medicaid recipients who work are significant, as The Buckeye Institute’s research has demonstrated.”

The Buckeye Institute’s own research shows that a young Medicaid recipient who works and transitions off the government program could earn close to $1 million over a lifetime. Even recipients who remain on Medicaid their entire working life could receive hundreds of thousands more as a result of working.

The Buckeye Institute offered three recommendations that would improve Ohio’s waiver application. 

• Improve Data Collection. The state should improve the accuracy of its data collection to more easily verify Medicaid eligibility and ensure that eligible recipients receive their benefits.
• Emphasize the Importance of Work. Since more work experience results in higher skills and wages, Medicaid recipients will experience long-term financial benefits if they work. The waiver application should explain how additional work will benefit enrollees.
• Define “Employed.” The proposed waiver will make “employed” recipients eligible, but it does not explicitly define the term or distinguish between being employed for one hour or 40 hours a week. The waiver should define employment as working at least 20 hours per week or 80 hours per month.

# # #