Boise (670 KBOI News) – It’s now law…those Idahoans who receive Medicaid benefits will have to work or volunteer 20 hours a week, or meet one of the exemptions outlined in Senate Bill 1204, which Governor Little signed today.
Nampa Representative John VanderWoude says if Medicaid recipients are the working poor, then asking them to verify they’re working isn’t too much to ask.
“If these are the working poor, what the bill was sold as, those are the people we were trying to help, we shouldn’t have a problem” said VanderWoude. “We’ve exempted most people, like all college students are now eligible for Medicaid, without working. But I want to know, as we implement this program, how many people are working and aren’t working.”
He says the work reporting requirements are the same as with the SNAP — or food stamps — program, so it won’t be too difficult to do.
But Reclaim Idaho, the group that got Medicaid expansion on the ballot last November, isn’t happy about the Governor signing SB 1204.
Rebecca Schroeder with Reclaim Idaho says it’s not what the voters wanted when they passed Medicaid expansion by 61%.
“We are sincerely disappointed that the Governor has signed this piece of legislation,” said Schroeder. “This is a far cry from what the voters approved in November. We not only have concerns about the content of this bill, but the manner in which it was crafted, with tons of amendments.”
Schroeder says furthermore, the work requirement will surely be challenged in court, which will cost taxpayers money.
