In 2018, Arkansas became the first state to ever implement a work requirement for able-bodied adults on Medicaid. In response, former officials of the Clinton and Obama administrations recently produced a “study,” funded by hospitals and pro-ObamaCare advocacy groups, that they claim assesses the “early changes in insurance coverage and employment after implementation of [Medicaid] work requirements in Arkansas.” But the methodological approach taken by the authors raises serious questions about the real goal—and validity—of the report.
The report concludes that Arkansas’ historic Medicaid work requirement has failed to increase work, has increased the uninsured rate, and has otherwise failed to deliver on its promises. But the study is riddled with sloppy methodology and a basic misunderstanding of the work requirement, rendering its findings essentially useless.
As more states look to replicate Arkansas’ unprecedented success, policymakers across the country deserve to know the truth.
