Cutting people out of their entitlement’s isn’t gonna be easy for Trump….
Nor should it be…..
In this case 18,000 people lost their benefits….
— Two rulings issued last night by the federal district court in D.C. illustrate the human dynamics that make it so incredibly difficult to cut holes in the safety net. Judge James Boasberg threw sand in the gears of the Trump administration’s campaign to compel poor people who depend on Medicaid to hold jobs in exchange for health benefits. For the second time, he rejected Kentucky’s work requirement program and declared the rules that recently took effect in Arkansas “cannot stand.”
Boasberg, an Obama appointee, said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar behaved in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner when he signed off on the plans without considering the human impact and the intent of Congress when it established Medicaid. While his rulings technically apply only to the two states, they could also impact six other states that have received permission from the Trump administration to begin work requirements and seven other states that have applications pending.
The judge opened his 35-page Arkansas decision with an anecdote about one of the approximately 18,000 people who were denied coverage between September and December for failing to comply with the state’s new requirements…
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