Changes Coming to Kentucky’s Medicaid Program

In January, Kentucky became the first state in the nation to receive federal approval to require people on Medicaid to fulfill a work requirement.

But that’s just one of the changes coming to the state’s Medicaid program as part of a sweeping overhaul proposed by the Bevin Administration. In addition to requiring able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work, volunteer, pursue job training, or be a caregiver for 20 hours a week, beneficiaries will also have to pay modest monthly premiums. The new program is called Kentucky HEALTH, or “Helping to Engage and Achieve Long-Term Health.”

KET’s Renee Shaw explored the changes with Kristi Putnam, program manager for Kentucky HEALTH, and Adam Meier, deputy chief of staff for policy for Gov. Matt Bevin. They discussed the goals of the reforms, who will be impacted by the new requirements, costs of the new system, and how vision, dental, and addiction treatment services will be handled.