GREENVILLE, S.C. — Gov. Henry McMaster has placed new requirements on some Medicaid recipients Thursday morning that will require them to work or volunteer to keep their benefits.
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved South Carolina’s application to add community engagement requirements for qualifying Medicaid members. This added requirement would require some Medicaid recipients to work or volunteer to keep their health insurance.
According to a release, these initiatives will allow the state to promote healthier outcomes.
The approved section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waivers include the state’s “Healthy Connections Community Engagement Initiative and the “Palmetto Pathways to Independence Initiative.”
To stay in the program, able bodied adults would need to have 80 hours of monthly work, job training, education or community service.
“South Carolina’s economy is booming, wages are up, and our unemployment rate is at an all-time low at 2.6%,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “Competition for workers is fierce and businesses are struggling to fill vacancies. In this economy there is no excuse for the able bodied not to be working. Through collaboration with our federal partners we have designed an innovative initiative that will improve health outcomes while also addressing our state’s workforce needs.”
South Carolina is the 10th state granted a waiver, although judges have stopped the requirement in three other states. South Carolina has about 1 million people on the federal health care program, but about 80% of them are disabled, children or senior citizens who are exempt from the requirements.