(The Center Square) – Work requirements for some Arkansas Medicare recipients could go into effect as early as January if the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves the state’s request.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders asked the Department of Human Services in February to ask CMS for authorization for the program, which would require nondisabled adults to participate to find work.
“CMS determined the application was complete and opened it for a 30-day federal public comment period which closed on July 14, 2023,” Gavin Lesnick, chief communications and community engagement officer for DHS, told The Center Square. “Eleven comments were submitted to CMS. On August 1, DHS submitted a response to the comments to CMS.”
Pending CMS approval, the agency plans to implement the requirements on January 1. The program is called “Opportunities for Success.” The DHS will offer it to enrollees based on their federal poverty level, or FPL, Lesnick said.
The enrollees will work with a “success coach.” Those positions will be held by current state employees, but none are identified yet, according to Lesnick.
“Success Coaches will evaluate the needs of the individuals they serve, including their Health-Related Social Needs, and then work with individuals to develop strategies for how those needs can be addressed through the development of an individualized Action Plan,” Lesnick said. “We anticipate that these services will help beneficiaries connect to services that lead to skills building, economic opportunities, and eventually a transition into new and higher paying careers.”
The program will roll out in phases.
“Those at or below 20 percent FPL potentially would be eligible for focused care coordination via a Success Coach in the first year of implementation,” Lesinick said. “Those with FPL level between 21 and 80 percent potentially would be eligible to engage with a Success Coach after 24 months of enrollment. And those with FPL levels between 81 percent and 138 percent potentially would be eligible to engage with a Success Coach after 36 months of enrollment.”
Eligible beneficiaries that do not participate will have coverage under the traditional fee-for-service Medicaid plan and not the qualified health plan, Lesnick said.
DHS is halfway through purging the rolls of beneficiaries no longer eligible for Medicaid now that the COVID-19 health emergency has ended. In July, 82,279 were removed because they didn’t return the renewal form or requested information. Only 2,944 lost coverage because they were no longer eligible for the program.
More than 200,000 remained on the program, according to DHS. The state has 915,926 Medicaid recipients.
“This is exactly how the system is supposed to work: we are ensuring that benefits remain available for Arkansans who truly need them, and we are also working to make sure those who no longer qualify know about available options for health care coverage,” said Arkansas Department of Human Services Secretary Kristi Putnam. “As we move forward, we remain committed to completing this redetermination process in a way that is both efficient and fair.”
The disenrollment process began in May and will continue through October.
