Kentucky’s Republican Governor Matt Bevin is suing to stop a lawsuit that charges Medicaid work requirements are unconstitutional.
Bevin’s lawsuit charges that the lawsuit needs to be heard in a Kentucky federal court and not in a Washington, D.C., court where it was filed.
“The Commonwealth’s voice obviously must be heard on this issue,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit focuses on Kentucky’s plan to install work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid recipients. Eligible beneficiaries must work, volunteer or get job training for 20 hours in order to get Medicaid benefits.
A group of 16 Kentucky residents filed the original lawsuit. It charges that Medicaid work requirements violate the Constitution because under federal law the program’s eligibility requirements cannot change — that would require an act of Congress.
Bevin’s lawsuit charges that since the 16 Kentucky residents that are part of the suit are from the state then it needs to be relocated to the Kentucky federal court.
Bevin has previously threatened that if a court throws out the work requirements then he will terminate Kentucky’s Medicaid expansion.
Kentucky was one of the first red states to expand Medicaid under Bevin’s predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear. There are 1.2 million people who get Medicaid in the state, including nearly half a million who got it through Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion.
The legal fight is likely to be closely watched by other states. A total of eight other states are seeking federal approval to work requirements and Indiana got approval earlier this month.
