{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-braun-romney-blackburn-hagerty-inhofe-introduce-legislation-to-empower-state-innovation-within-medicaid-program-2/", "Young, Braun, Romney, Blackburn, Hagerty, Inhofe Introduce Legislation to Empower State Innovation Within Medicaid Program", "2021-12-14", "2021", "2021-12", "Republican", "Senate", "IN", "Todd Young", "Y000064", "www.young.senate.gov", "toddyoung", "https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON\u2014 Today, U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) introduced the Let States Innovate Under Medicaid Act.\n\nThis legislation authorizes a framework to allow innovation under Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration project waivers. Specifically, it would include \u201cwork or community engagement requirements\u201d as an acceptable practice that furthers the objectives of the Medicaid program, thereby prohibiting the CMS administrator from denying a 1115 waiver on the basis that work or community engagement requirements do not further the objectives of the Medicaid program.\n\n\u201cMedicaid should ideally be available as a temporary option, with a goal of preparing individuals for a life of dignity in the workforce. Work and community engagement activities, such as those that Indiana previously had in place, are designed to improve quality of life over the long term and help individuals transition to full employment. CMS\u2019s decision earlier this year to revoke Indiana\u2019s ability to set these expectations for some Medicaid recipients treats work as a punishment and discourages efforts to transition to self-reliance. That\u2019s why I joined my colleagues to introduce the Let States Innovate Under Medicaid Act to allow states the opportunity to innovate under the Medicaid program, with the objective of preparing individuals for a life of independence in the workforce,\u201d said Senator Young.\n\nIn February 2021, at the direction of the Biden Administration, CMS began efforts to withdraw work requirement waiver authorities in several states that had either been previously approved, or had a pending application, to implement work requirements. CMS is continuing to review some states\u2019 work requirement waivers, but has already withdrawn waiver authorities in nine states\u2014 Indiana, Arizona, Arkansas, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin.\n\nAdditionally, other states have voluntarily withdrawn work requirements from their waiver applications or have postponed the implementation of work requirements because of the uncertainty concerning Medicaid work and community engagement programs. CMS based its decision to withdraw waiver authorities in the nine states on the basis that \u201cwork or community engagement requirements\u201d do not further the objectives of the Medicaid program.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.young.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/young-braun-romney-blackburn-hagerty-inhofe-introduce-legislation-to-empower-state-innovation-within-medicaid-program-2/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0028008837252855, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}