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Arizona Suspends Medicaid Work Requirement

hillsidehealthcare.com

Arizona has quietly suspended plans to require that about 120,000 people work, volunteer or go to school to receive Medicaid benefits.

The state Medicaid program posted a notice on its website saying the requirements are being delayed "as court cases in other states play out." They were due to take effect in January.

A federal judge in March blocked work requirements in Arkansas and Kentucky, ruling they undermined the program's mission of providing health care for the needy. Arizona officials said at the time that the ruling didn't affect their plans.

The Trump administration has argued that requiring able-bodied adults to work as a condition of receiving health care benefits would make people healthier. Nearly 20 states are in various stages of trying to implement work requirements.

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