A federal court ruled on Tuesday that Michigan’s work requirements for its Medicaid program are unlawful.
The ruling came a little more than a week after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer filed a claim with the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C., to ask for a quick decision after a similar work requirement was struck down in Arkansas.
“I am pleased that the court has taken action that will help Michigan provide affordable, high-quality access to health care,” Whitmer said in a statement. “This is great news for Michiganders, although it is not surprising given a previous federal court decision regarding Medicaid work requirements in Arkansas.”
The Healthy Michigan Plan, Michigan’s Medicaid expansion program previously required enrollees work at least 80 hours a month, get job training or pursue formal education in order to keep their coverage, according to The Detroit News. Enrollees not exempt from the requirements that failed to meet them for three months were at risk of losing their coverage.
More than 650,000 receive coverage under the Healthy Michigan Plan, according to Whitmer’s office.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services sent out 238,000 notices to individuals who were at risk of losing their coverage, despite Whitmer asking the Michigan Legislature to pause the work requirements while a judge ruled on the Arkansas case. Whitmer submitted her request to the Michigan Legislature on December 3, 2019. A judge ruled on the Arkansas case on February 14, 2020.
“MDHHS has spent more than $30 million implementing requirements that created anxiety and churn for Healthy Michigan Plan enrollees and have now been deemed unlawful,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon. “We look forward to returning our team members’ focus to work that improves the health and wellbeing of Michiganders.”
MDHHS will now notify those individuals that they are no longer required to report their work activities.
“While it’s unfortunate that Republicans in the Legislature created confusion and wasted tens of millions of taxpayer dollars by pressing forward with implementation of requirements that were clearly going to be thrown out by the courts, I look forward to working with the Legislature on a better way to promote work while protecting coverage,” Whitmer said.
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Jordyn Pair is a reporter with Battleground State News and The Michigan Star. Follow her on Twitter at @JordynPair. Email her at [email protected].
