Indiana to suspend Medicaid work requirement

Indiana will suspend a requirement that some adult Medicaid beneficiaries work or engage in activities such as job training or volunteer work to remain eligible for coverage until a lawsuit challenging the program is resolved, the state announced today. The National Health Law Program and Indiana Legal Services last month filed a federal lawsuit challenging the administration for approving a Section 1115 waiver for the Indiana plan, claiming the waiver violates the Administrative Procedure Act and U.S. Constitution. In earlier challenges filed in the same court, a federal judge this year blocked Medicaid work requirements in New Hampshire, Kentucky and Arkansas. Arizona last week postponed implementing a Medicaid work requirement, citing “the evolving national landscape concerning Medicaid community engagement programs and ongoing litigation regarding the topic.”