FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Paul, MN — In Minnesota, an estimated 128,000 people will be subject to regular reporting for the work reporting requirement, and others will have to prove they qualify for an exemption. Work reporting requirements mean fewer people will be able to afford the health care they need, will add unnecessary complexity and paperwork, will increase administrative costs for states, and will likely not increase employment.
As Minnesota policymakers implement these policies, they should take a people-centered approach that seeks to minimize harm. This includes making policy changes to expand access to MinnesotaCare and other affordable health care options. It also includes choosing to implement work reporting requirement policies in ways that prioritize ensuring every eligible person is able to enroll in and maintain their health care coverage, such as translating notices and forms into multiple languages, ensuring simple and accessible documents submission, and providing information in plain language. Using existing data sources to verify compliance would avoid wasteful duplication and lessen the burden for Medicaid applicants and participants, and county workers. Minnesotans are all better off when people have the health coverage they need to survive and thrive, but work reporting requirements will put affordable health coverage at risk for many.
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About This Is Medicaid: Minnesota health care advocates are joining across issues and priorities to defend against federal funding cuts or policy changes to Medicaid, and ensure Minnesota policymakers understand the clear threats to the health care of more than a million Minnesotans.