Medicaid
Commentary
States are grumbling about Medicaid work requirements. Taxpayers shouldn’t.
States are grumbling about the cost of implementing new work requirements for working-age Medicaid beneficiaries. “[I]t’s taking a significant amount of financial resources away from a system that people depend on,” Marvin B. Figueroa, the Virginia secretary of Health and Human Services, recently said. But that argument gets the issue ...
Sally C. Pipes
July 6, 2026
Commentary
No, Proving Medical Frailty Isn’t Too Much to Ask
The Trump administration just released a new rule making clear that Medicaid’s work requirements are just that — requirements. Beginning in 2027, able-bodied adults who gained Medicaid coverage through Obamacare’s expansion of the program will generally need to spend at least 80 hours per month working, studying, participating in job ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 22, 2026
Commentary
Medicaid’s fraud problem has become impossible to ignore
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is demanding records from 11 states as part of a widening investigation into potential Medicaid fraud. It’s just the latest sign that Washington is beginning to recognize the scale of abuse inside one of the nation’s largest entitlement programs. The Centers for Medicare and ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 8, 2026
Commentary
Washington Is Finally Taking Medicaid Fraud More Seriously
Vice President J.D. Vance recently intensified the Trump administration’s crackdown on healthcare fraud, warning states that they could risk losing federal Medicaid funding if they don’t adequately police abuse within the program. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also announced a nationwide six-month freeze on new Medicare enrollments ...
Sally C. Pipes
June 1, 2026
Commentary
Deflating the controversy over Medicaid work requirements
Earlier this month, Nebraska became the first state to implement the Medicaid work requirements established by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — now renamed by Republicans as the working families tax cuts. Dozens of others are scrambling to follow suit before the January deadline. Democrats and much of ...
Sally C. Pipes
May 11, 2026
Commentary
Trump’s War on Medicaid Fraud Finally Gains Steam
Vice President J.D. Vance’s effort to clean up waste in Medicaid began in earnest last month, with the first meeting of the administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. Judging from a new federal report, he’s got his work cut out for him. The study, issued last month by the Office ...
Sally C. Pipes
April 10, 2026
Commentary
Republicans did not cut Medicaid. They slowed its growth
Democrats have made a striking claim central to their midterm message: that Republicans have “cut” Medicaid by as much as $1 trillion. It’s a powerful line. It’s also misleading. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Medicaid spending is projected to rise every year for the foreseeable future, totaling more ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 27, 2026
Commentary
States are pushing Medicaid beyond its intended limits
Democrats have not given up their push to expand publicly funded health coverage to illegal immigrants in this country. In California, the state Senate is considering legislation that would allow all undocumented residents ages 19 and older to enroll in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. This year, California froze new ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 17, 2026
Commentary
Republicans Haven’t Cut Medicaid—But They Have Tightened Its Belt
Have Republicans cut $1 trillion from Medicaid? Democrats have made this assertion central to their pitch to voters with this fall’s midterm elections approaching. Yet a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office tells a different story. According to the agency’s latest projections, spending on Medicaid is set to ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 9, 2026
Commentary
Republicans didn’t cut Medicaid — but Democrats did make a mess of it
Democrats are hoping that healthcare will propel them to victory in this year’s midterm elections. Their central charge is that Republicans have cut Medicaid by $1 trillion over 10 years as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump back in July. There’s just ...
Sally C. Pipes
March 2, 2026
States are grumbling about Medicaid work requirements. Taxpayers shouldn’t.
States are grumbling about the cost of implementing new work requirements for working-age Medicaid beneficiaries. “[I]t’s taking a significant amount of financial resources away from a system that people depend on,” Marvin B. Figueroa, the Virginia secretary of Health and Human Services, recently said. But that argument gets the issue ...
No, Proving Medical Frailty Isn’t Too Much to Ask
The Trump administration just released a new rule making clear that Medicaid’s work requirements are just that — requirements. Beginning in 2027, able-bodied adults who gained Medicaid coverage through Obamacare’s expansion of the program will generally need to spend at least 80 hours per month working, studying, participating in job ...
Medicaid’s fraud problem has become impossible to ignore
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is demanding records from 11 states as part of a widening investigation into potential Medicaid fraud. It’s just the latest sign that Washington is beginning to recognize the scale of abuse inside one of the nation’s largest entitlement programs. The Centers for Medicare and ...
Washington Is Finally Taking Medicaid Fraud More Seriously
Vice President J.D. Vance recently intensified the Trump administration’s crackdown on healthcare fraud, warning states that they could risk losing federal Medicaid funding if they don’t adequately police abuse within the program. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also announced a nationwide six-month freeze on new Medicare enrollments ...
Deflating the controversy over Medicaid work requirements
Earlier this month, Nebraska became the first state to implement the Medicaid work requirements established by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act — now renamed by Republicans as the working families tax cuts. Dozens of others are scrambling to follow suit before the January deadline. Democrats and much of ...
Trump’s War on Medicaid Fraud Finally Gains Steam
Vice President J.D. Vance’s effort to clean up waste in Medicaid began in earnest last month, with the first meeting of the administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. Judging from a new federal report, he’s got his work cut out for him. The study, issued last month by the Office ...
Republicans did not cut Medicaid. They slowed its growth
Democrats have made a striking claim central to their midterm message: that Republicans have “cut” Medicaid by as much as $1 trillion. It’s a powerful line. It’s also misleading. According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Medicaid spending is projected to rise every year for the foreseeable future, totaling more ...
States are pushing Medicaid beyond its intended limits
Democrats have not given up their push to expand publicly funded health coverage to illegal immigrants in this country. In California, the state Senate is considering legislation that would allow all undocumented residents ages 19 and older to enroll in Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. This year, California froze new ...
Republicans Haven’t Cut Medicaid—But They Have Tightened Its Belt
Have Republicans cut $1 trillion from Medicaid? Democrats have made this assertion central to their pitch to voters with this fall’s midterm elections approaching. Yet a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office tells a different story. According to the agency’s latest projections, spending on Medicaid is set to ...
Republicans didn’t cut Medicaid — but Democrats did make a mess of it
Democrats are hoping that healthcare will propel them to victory in this year’s midterm elections. Their central charge is that Republicans have cut Medicaid by $1 trillion over 10 years as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law by President Donald Trump back in July. There’s just ...