In Gresham v. Azar, United States District Court for the District of Columbia Judge James E. Boasberg “[found] its guiding principle in Yogi Berra’s aphorism, ‘It’s déjà vu all over again.’” No. CV 18-1900 (JEB), 2019 WL 1375241, at *7 (D.D.C. Mar. 27, 2019). In striking down the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) approval of Arkansas’s Medicaid work requirements as “arbitrary and capricious,” Judge Boasberg noted that the agency’s failures were “nearly identical” to those in Stewart v. Azar I, 313 F.Supp.3d 237, 243 (D.D.C. 2018), where he vacated the agency’s approval of Kentucky’s Medicaid Work requirements back in June 2018. The same day the Court issued Gresham, Judge Boasburg declared “[t]he bell now rings for round two” and again vacated Kentucky’s Medicaid work requirements finding the agency’s reaproval “arbitrary and capricious” in Stewart v. Azar II. No. CV 18-152 (JEB), 2019 WL 1375496, at *1 (D.D.C. Mar. 27, 2019).

Under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act, HHS may approve a state’s waiver application and allow a state to waive certain Medicaid program requirements. Such waivers include “experimental, pilot, or demonstration project[s]” that “in the judgment of the Secretary, [are] likely to assist in promoting the [Medicaid Act’s] objectives.” 42 U.S.C. § 1315(a). In March 2017, Seema Verma, the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), along with HHS Secretary at the time, Thomas Price, sent a letter to state governors clarifying the agency’s “intent to use existing Section 1115 demonstration authority to review and approve” Medicaid work requirements. Heeding this call, the governor of Kentucky applied for a Section 1115 waiver to implement an experimental program which includes work requirements as a condition of Medicaid coverage. Under these work requirements, many adults must complete 80 hours of employment or other qualifying activities every month or lose their Medicaid coverage. These requirements primarily target the Medicaid expansion population (individuals who obtained coverage after states expanded eligibility under the Affordable Care Act). Arkansas’ program—which took effect last June as the first work requirements in the history of Medicaid—is substantially similar to the Kentucky program. The Kentucky work requirements had yet to take effect.Continue Reading Federal District Court Judge Vacates Arkansas and Kentucky’s Medicaid Work Requirements