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President
Donald Trump, accompanied by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (right),
speaks at a workforce development roundtable in June at Waukesha County
Technical College in Pewaukee.(Photo: Associated Press)
MADISON - Tens of thousands of needy but
able-bodied adults in Wisconsin could have to work to qualify for state
health coverage under a plan from Gov. Scott Walker that has won
support from President Donald Trump's administration.
Seema Verma, head of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, opened the way this week
for states to require "able-bodied, working-age Medicaid beneficiaries"
to participate in skills training, education, job search, volunteering
or caregiving.
Walker and his fellow GOP
governors in nine other states have sought to impose work and training
requirements on the Medicaid program known in Wisconsin as BadgerCare.
But to do it they needed the backing of federal officials.
“Medicaid
needs to be more flexible so that states can best address the needs of
this population," Verma said in a statement. "Our fundamental goal is to
make a positive and lasting difference in the health and wellness of
our beneficiaries."
Walker, whose office had no
immediate reaction to the news, has sought to impose both work
requirements and drug testing on BadgerCare and other public benefits.
Critics say these moves will cost taxpayers more than they save, trigger
costly lawsuits and fail to boost the state’s economy the way other
investments might.
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