Trump administration appeals decision blocking Medicaid work requirements

The Trump administration has appealed a federal judge’s recent ruling that blocked Medicaid work requirements in Kentucky and Arkansas. The government today filed separate appeals of a March 27 ruling by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg that said the federal government did not justify that adding work requirements and other changes to Medicaid in the two states advanced the program's purpose of providing health coverage. In Arkansas about 18,000 people have lost coverage because of the new requirements. The Kentucky requirements have not gone into effect yet. Six other states have received approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to begin work requirements and another seven are seeking CMS approval.