Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has rejected a federal government waiver that would have allowed Maine to impose work requirements for Medicaid recipients.
The LePage administration applied for the waiver, which was approved in December.
In a letter sent Tuesday to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Mills said the waiver would likely cause people to lose insurance without increasing participation in the workforce, given Maine’s low unemployment rate, dispersed population and low per-capita income.
Instead of implementing the work requirement, Mills says, the state will increase efforts to make workforce training available to those who receive Medicaid.
Originally published 5:31 p.m. Jan. 22, 2018
