House HHS hears hours-long debate over Medicaid work-requirement bill and waiver plan

Senate Bill 134, which would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to pursue a federal waiver imposing work and community-engagement requirements on Granite Advantage (the state’s Medicaid expansion program), drew more than two hours of testimony and sharply divided witnesses before the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee.

Proponents framed the bill as a policy to encourage work and lower long-term costs. Senator Howard Pearl, prime sponsor, said the waiver would apply to able-bodied adults and include exemptions similar to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Executive Councilor John Steven told the committee the policy affirms a state preference for work, pointing to earlier TANF reforms as a model.

Opponents — including clinicians, legal-aid attorneys, behavioral-health providers, hospitals and DHHS staff — warned that putting monthly…