Over the last few months, critics and the media have perpetuated myths about Arkansas’ reporting requirements and work requirement generally. The reality is that Governor Hutchinson, the Arkansas Department of Human Services, and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services have worked tirelessly to ensure that Arkansans were informed of the requirement and that reporting mechanisms were simple, efficient, and fair.
Arkansas has a lot to be proud of: before being temporarily paused by an Obama-appointed judge, its Medicaid work requirement was leading the nation, helping their people get back to work and putting their Medicaid program on a more sustainable path
Policymakers considering similar reforms in other states should rest assured that myths about the Arkansas experience are just that—myths—and thanks to the state’s innovation, thousands of Arkansans have been moved from welfare to work.