Article snippet: The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today released new policy guidance that allows states to enforce work requirements on the millions of low-income people who receive Medicaid. The move by the Trump administration paves the way for states to start programs that deny health coverage through Medicaid unless people demonstrate they work or are participating in "community engagement activities" like volunteering. The guidance explains what is needed for states to get federal approval for programs that impose work requirements, and explains that the proposals must not include those with a "disability, elderly beneficiaries, children, and pregnant women" who are eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that provides low-cost health care, is the largest federal health program with over 70 million participants and has an annual federal budget of over $400 billion. Ten states -- Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Wisconsin -- have already sent in proposals for work requirements for Medicaid, according to CMS, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The states need federal approval to begin the requirements. Until now, people have not been required to have a job in order to be eligible for Medicaid help. The move signals a major shift in how the federal health care safety net is administered, one that will face a severe backla... Link to the full article to read more