LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Republican candidate Daniel Cameron said Wednesday that he would move quickly as Kentucky’s governor to revive a push to require some able-bodied adults to work in exchange for health care coverage through Medicaid.
If he succeeds in unseating Governor Andy Beshear later this year, Cameron said his administration would seek federal permission to impose the Medicaid work requirement. In a follow-up statement, Cameron’s campaign said the proposed rule would not include able-bodied adults who are truly vulnerable, including those with children or who are pregnant. Cameron declared that connecting Medicaid coverage to work for some Kentuckians would raise workforce participation in the post-pandemic era.
The issue of imposing a Medicaid work requirement is yet another stark difference between Cameron and Beshear, who is seeking reelection to a second term in November. Beshear rescinded an attempt by the state’s previous GOP governor, Matt Bevin, to create a Medicaid work requirement that Beshear says would have stripped coverage from about 100,000 Kentuckians.
Cameron’s campaign said Wednesday that his proposal would require affected adults to either work, be enrolled at least part-time in college or be involved in job training or community service to stay on Medicaid.
Medicaid is a joint federal and state health care program for poor and disabled people. Advocates have said work requirements would become one more hoop for low-income people to jump through, and many could be denied coverage because of technicalities and challenging new paperwork.