Republicans are considering cuts to Medicaid, the joint federal-state health plan that provides taxpayer-funded health coverage to 80 million adults and children. Many in the GOP would like to require able-bodied Medicaid beneficiaries to work in exchange for coverage. That’s a good idea.
The federal government and the states spent some $870 billion on Medicaid in 2023. Adding work requirements would cut waste and help preserve Medicaid for those who truly need it.
Medicaid enrollment has ballooned under Democrats. Congress created the entitlement nearly 60 years ago to cover low-income, vulnerable Americans. But President Barack Obama expanded Medicaid eligibility to able-bodied adults earning up to 138% of the poverty level — $44,367 today for a family of four. Forty states and Washington, D.C., have signed up for this expansion.
Medicaid enrollment exploded under the…
