Washington, DC — President Donald Trump signed H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill, into law on Friday, July 4. The U.S. Senate passed (51-50) the bill on June 30, and the House passed it (218-214) on July 3.

AWHONN opposed the passage of H.R. 1 because it contains a provision requiring Medicaid enrollees to document compliance with work, volunteer, or educational activities intended to reduce the number of people on Medicaid.

We know from Arkansas’ experience with a work requirement in 2018 that some people who qualify for Medicaid will lose coverage due to a lack of awareness and confusion about the reporting requirements. At the rate Medicaid enrollees lost coverage in Arkansas, several million will lose coverage nationwide.  The decrease will increase the financial pressure on maternity units serving a high proportion of Medicaid enrollees, and therefore, increase the rate of hospitals closing maternity units due to financial pressures, particularly in rural areas where maternity units serve a high proportion of Medicaid enrollees.

Write your representative and senators to let them know how you feel about their vote on this bill.

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