Some Arkansans report difficulty understanding new Medicaid work requirements

Arkansas was the first state last year to implement work requirements for Medicaid recipients, and two new analyses find that although most people are aware of the new rules, many don’t understand how they work. Nearly 20,000 Arkansans are no longer covered by Medicaid, and in one report, participants who had lost health insurance under the new criteria shared that the state’s online system for reporting work hours was difficult to use and often unavailable. In another report, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients in the state said in interviews that they are confused by the new work requirements, and some have lost access to SNAP and Medicaid in the process. The interviews for both reports were conducted with a small group of participants, however, so the findings may not be generalizable.