Executive Summary
Work requirements are one of the most insidious strategies to cut Medicaid because they do so by triggering coverage losses rather than changing the structure of federal Medicaid financing. Cutting health insurance for millions through Medicaid work requirements would profoundly hurt state and local economies. Work requirements would gut already strained state budgets, endanger state credit ratings, and destabilize the low-wage and health care workforce. Resulting coverage losses would increase uncompensated care at hospitals, clinics, and other providers, narrowing operating margins and risking closures, especially in rural communities. They would also drastically increase medical debt, reducing individuals’ purchasing power and slowing economic growth.
