New FGA Report Finds that Majority of ObamaCare Expansion Enrollees are Not Working
- BY FGA
Naples, FL – New research from the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) finds that nationwide, an estimated 6.8 million ObamaCare expansion enrollees are not working at all.
The expansion of Medicaid to able-bodied adults under ObamaCare created a new welfare trap for more than 12 million able-bodied adults. With no work requirement in place, nearly seven million of these expansion enrollees have no earned income. According to the research, authored by Victoria Eardley, FGA Research Fellow, and Nic Horton, FGA’s Research Director, implementing commonsense work requirements in Medicaid would move able-bodied adults from welfare to work, ensuring that funds are preserved for the truly needy.
When implemented in other welfare programs, work requirements have doubled incomes, cut time spent on welfare in half, and have enabled adults moving back to work to find jobs in over 600 diverse industries.
Since the Trump administration issued guidance in January 2018 allowing states to pursue the reform, more than a dozen states have moved forward with Medicaid work requirements.
“Medicaid expansion has created a new welfare class of able-bodied adults, and with nearly seven million of these individuals not working, something has to give. Every dollar that goes to able-bodied adults on Medicaid is a dollar that can’t be spent on the truly needy,” said Horton. “State and federal policymakers should continue to push forward to implement Medicaid work requirements to move these able-bodied adults from welfare to work.”
The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non–profit, multi–state think tank that specializes in health care, welfare, and work reform. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.
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