Kentucky governor's lawsuit against his own citizens over Medicaid work requirements dismissed

Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin's quixotic efforts to snatch health insurance away from poor Kentuckians was dealt another setback today when a federal judge in Frankfort, Ky., tossed out the governor's lawsuit against sixteen low-income Kentuckians.

Back in June, a different federal district court, in Washington D.C., struck down the work requirement imposed on Medicaid expansion beneficiaries in the state. Bevin attempted to countersue the plaintiffs, complaining that their interference was a threat to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Today, he was essentially laughed out of court.

In response to the ruling against work requirements last June, Bevin has threatened to take his ball and go home. Unless he is able to alter the rules to pass muster with the court, or prevail on appeal, he claims that he will end the Medicaid expansion altogether, taking away health insurance from more than 400,000 Kentuckians because he didn't get his way.

Observers in Arkansas, where Governor Hutchinson also imposed work requirements on certain Medicaid expansion beneficiaries, have been watching closely. A federal lawsuit challenging the requirement in Arkansas was filed last week. Some Arkansas Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Bob Ballinger, have made the same threat that Bevin made: If the lawsuit prevails, they claim, they'll kill the Medicaid expansion. This is quite a position. Imposing monthly tedious paperwork requirements on poor people is more important to Bevin, Ballinger, and company than making sure they have their health care needs met.

Read more: https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2018/08/20/kentucky-governors-lawsuit-against-his-own-citizens-over-medicaid-work-requirements-dismissed