Steve beat me to the punch on the announcement that the able-bodied recipients will have to work or be bettering themselves in order to continue to get free healthcare. The Hill added this:
The waiver program will also require co-pays for Medicaid recipients who make more than 100 percent of the poverty level.
“Work requirements help lift able-bodied individuals out of poverty by empowering them with the dignity of work and self-reliability while also allowing states to control the costs of their Medicaid programs. They help people gain the skills necessary for long-term independence and success,” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said in a statement.
People don’t always value “free” when other people are paying for that “free” thing on an institutional things. I’ve seen it up close when running our daycare. When one has to put their own skinny into the picture,
like co-pays and work / volunteering / get training, it restores in part, self-interest kicks in and they look for better (at least some). Sununu has the right of it and once again points up the huge chasm between those that believe Government MUST provide everything that is needed versus those that believe Government is the last resort and only for a while. Another way of stating it is:
Progressives believe success is measured by how many people are on welfare; Conservatives know that success is measured by how many people become self-sufficient and self-reliant and not on government.
Too often, Progressives denigrate the value of work in individuals lives and what accomplishment can bring. In their urge to help, they feed the bigotry of low expectations and their policies suck the motivation out of people to help themselves. There is more dignity in work than being given a hand out (which is when welfare is used for other than a hand up). More:
Sununu added, “Today’s announcement by CMS authorizing New Hampshire’s Medicaid work requirements is a transformative step towards a more thriving workforce.”
