Ohio's Democratic congressional delegation wants Gov. John Kasich to rescind a proposal for imposing new work requirements on Medicaid expansion recipients.
U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan, Marcy Kaptur, Marcia Fudge and Joyce Beatty in a letter Thursday questioned "the very rationale" of a Medicaid waiver Ohio submitted to the federal government on May 1.
It lays out details for imposing a work and community engagement requirement state lawmakers passed last summer. State officials said only about 36,000 Ohioans, or 5 percent of expansion enrollees, will need to find jobs to keep insurance under the proposal.
Congressional Democrats said the plan would create "needless administrative bureaucracy and red tape" that risks accidently kicking off people who "need and deserve" the program.
Ohio’s waiver request would exempt recipients in counties with high unemployment rates. But a recent study found that plan would mostly benefit white Medicaid recipients who live in rural areas, while disproportionately burdening black recipients who live in cities like Columbus and Cleveland.
Kasich's spokesman couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
