Without proactive welfare reform in the face of this economic downturn, states will suffer the consequences for years to come. But leaders can make a difference. Policy matters. And good choices are out there.
States should:
1. Urge Congress to eliminate federal handcuffs on Medicaid reform
- Extra COVID-19 Medicaid Funds Come at a High Cost to State
- States are about to be hit by a Medicaid tidal wave
2. Make work requirements consistent across welfare programs and statewide
- Welfare Reform Is Moving Mississippians Back to Work
- Room to Grow: Work Requirements in Public Housing Will Increase Independence and Preserve Resources for the Truly Needy
- States Are Waiving Work Requirements in Areas with Record-High Job Openings
3. Get ahead of the game on work requirements in Medicaid for able-bodied adults
- Arkansas’ Medicaid Work Requirement Was Working
- The Medicaid Pac-Man: How Medicaid Is Consuming State Budgets
- The Future of Medicaid Reform: Empowering Individuals Through Work
4. Enhance welfare and unemployment program integrity
- The Case for Ending Auto-Enrollment in Medicaid
- Refusing to Work: Handling employee work rejections in light of expanded unemployment benefits
- How Indexing Unemployment Benefits Can Help States Weather Economic Downturns
5. Eliminate the broad-based categorical eligibility (BBCE) loophole in food stamps
- Closing the Door to Food Stamp Fraud: How ending broad-based categorical eligibility can protect the truly needy
- Why Closing the Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility Loophole Will Not Bust State Budgets
6. For states with a work requirement in food stamps, make it more comprehensive
7. Require child support cooperation in food stamps and public housing
8. Eliminate the abuse of “presumptive eligibility” determinations in hospitals
9. Biannual redeterminations of Medicaid enrollees’ eligibility
10. Institute lifetime limits in public housing and periodic time limits in Medicaid for able-bodied adults
