A federal judge on Thursday denied a request by more than two dozen Democratic states to halt a Trump administration policy announced last month that would require Medicaid recipients with terminal diseases to prove they are too sick to work in order to be exempt from new work requirements that go into effect this coming January.
While introducing over $1 trillion in tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% of Americans, last year’s massive GOP tax and budget bill also imposed new 80-hour-per-month work requirements that states must implement for Medicaid expansion recipients, who receive government-subsidized insurance coverage at or below 138% of the poverty line.
The law specified that those who are “medically frail or otherwise have special medical needs” are excluded from the work requirement, and specifically listed people with a “serious or complex medical condition.” But it remained unclear what exact conditions met these criteria.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced a new rule stating that even if a person receives a terminal diagnosis for a disease like cancer, HIV/AIDS, or Parkinson’s, that is still not enough for them to be exempt from the work requirements.
Beginning on January 1, 2028, it says they must also demonstrate to states that their condition “significantly impairs” their ability to meet the work requirement.
I have to say, that doesn’t seem unreasonable. My understanding is that one can get a terminal diagnosis long before one becomes too sick to work.
Do you want your Air Traffic Controller, Pilot, firefighter, paramedic, surgeon, or Engineer in charge of your power plant working with a terminal cancer diagnosis?
Knowing you’re dying affects your ability to focus, causes depression, and a whole host of other neurological effects that mean you’re way more likely to make mistakes, and way less likely to care about other people depending on how the news affects you.
This is likely to kill more people who didn’t have to die than it would save the government monetarily. If I have to work to get Medicaid while I’m terminally ill, I’ll happily just not pay taxes for that and use that money for my own care when the need arises.
The government already can come in after you die and take all your assets to pay back what you took from Medicaid. This is literally just so they can take more from your loved ones once you’re gone.
For the record, I don’t want people in low wage or low stakes jobs working while terminally ill either. I’m just illustrating how short sighted your view is.
I don’t want my fucking plumber working if they have a terminal disease
Imagine just offering up this opinion of your own free will
It’s helpful to be reminded that, yes, there are people out there like that. Learn to detect them early on.
Fuck off
If I find out that I’m terminally ill, I’m spending my days doing shit I enjoy with the people I love
Your attitude is precisely what makes 'Murica such a shit hole
Mmmmm I’ve got a few people I’d need to have words with before going out, personally.
Back to work, wagie
Yes, and if you’re able to work and only have months to live, that’s the best use of your time. For the benefit of society, of course. But also to keep your dignity and not be a freeloader. Without those 200 or so extra hours of work, the share market might dip. Or worse, you might get to spend some time with friends or family. Or going to medical appointments.
/s
“Hey honey, I’ve got 3 weeks to live. I’m off to the pizza hut to do the night shift of delivering pizzas so I can get the healthcare I need to work at the Pizza Hut to deliver pizzas. Thanks orange man!”
And where do you draw the distinction between being too sick and not?
The same place you do for people without a terminal diagnosis - you have to have a system for doing that anyway.
I hope someone you love gets that diagnosis so that you can spend the days counting down their demise while they slave away at a job they HAVE to do.
Accurate username.
Yeah cause that totally works for neurological diseases and disorders that dont show symptoms generally until 10-20 years after diagnosis… next up chemotherapy patients still have motor function! Meaning they can run a register hurdurrr
Can’t wait for the exciting new frontier of paying disabled people below minimum wage
They already do this.
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/workers-with-disabilities/overview
Ah of course. Satire is dead
I don’t think it matters if you’re too sick to work. That’s treating people as existing solely for your own benefit, to be exploited.
What does matter, IMHO, is what your expected timeline is. At one time, HIV could’ve been considered a terminal diagnosis. It couldn’t be treated, it would always advance to AIDS, and eventually that would cause your death. But that was likely to be 10+ years away.
If you’ve got less than a year to live, the government should cover your fucking medical care, no exception. Well, maybe the ultra-rich, but I’m sure they’d find a way around it anyway.
What do you mean by that in this context? I don’t think Medicaid pays for people’s healthcare in order that they might work (at least not in this context). It is rather more like a charity program, with the associated reasoning being that people who could work instead of accepting charity should.
Shut the fuck up and get back to work!