CareOregon CEO Says Medicaid Work Rules Do More Harm Than Good

As Republicans push for Medicaid work requirements, Eric C. Hunter, president and CEO of CareOregon, calls it a “bureaucratic hassle” that does more harm than good.

In a conversation with Managed Healthcare Executive, Hunter expressed that work requirements are an effective way to manage Medicaid eligibility, but what is proposed will cause more harm to those who can't afford commercial healthcare.

“I believe, first and foremost, as sort of stewards of public funds, that people who need the benefits and services should get them,” Hunter said. “Frankly, work requirements are not designed and based off of science to root people out of getting healthcare that they don’t need or qualify for.”

Hunter argued that most people eligible for Medicaid already work but earn too little to afford commercial health coverage.

In Oregon, for example, the state’s Medicaid “bridge” program supports low-income workers who fall into that gap. He sees work requirements as a political move, not sound policy.

“Work requirements have been proven in the states that have them to be nothing more than artificial hurdles and bureaucracy designed to get people to give up,” he said.

Even when verification systems are introduced, Hunter said they tend to impose reporting burdens, such as requiring people to submit forms every few weeks, call overwhelmed hotlines or navigate online systems with limited access.

These hurdles, he warned, not only strain folks but also overburden health plans and public agencies.

Hunter feels these administrative costs ultimately cancel out any potential savings.

When people lose coverage due to paperwork or policy barriers, they usually still need care, but end up accessing the healthcare system when their conditions are more severe, costly and harder to treat.

“We’ve learned that (patients) will access the healthcare system anyway,” Hunter said, adding that care will be accessed at a time when patients have conditions that can no longer be managed. “That will cost society a whole lot more money than getting them in for their physical and their yearly labs.”