Kris Kobach proposes new restrictions on Medicaid, food stamp and cash aid programs – By Tim Carpenter (cjonline.com) / Oct 17 2018
Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach revealed Wednesday proposals to impose work requirements, drug testing and immigration requirements for participation by Kansans in Medicaid, the food stamp and a cash assistance program.
His recommendations were swiftly denounced by Democratic, independent and Libertarian candidates for Kansas governor.
Kobach, in a tight race for governor against Democrat Laura Kelly three weeks before Election Day, unfurled the package one day before hosting Vice President Mike Pence in vote-rich Wichita. The administration of President Donald Trump has advocated limits on government programs that subsidize groceries and health insurance for low-income Americans.
Kobach said the objective of his reform agenda was to compel “able-bodied” adults without children to join the workforce in Kansas, which had an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in August. Thousands of impoverished people taking handouts from government could benefit from stepping into available jobs, Kobach said.
“To address the very real labor shortages that we have in Kansas we absolutely must encourage people to get off welfare,” said Kobach, who serves as secretary of state. “There’s no excuse for an able-bodied adult to be collecting welfare on the back of hard-working Kansans.”
In response, Kelly said the proposal was another example of Kobach attempting to mimic “failed policies” embraced by former Gov. Sam Brownback. Prior to resigning to take a job in the Trump administration, Brownback signed into law restrictions on social programs under the umbrella of the Hope Act.
“The Brownback Hope(less) Act ruined families, increased instances of child abuse and maltreatment, and drove up the number of children in foster care to more than 7,500,” Kelly said. “Just look at the crisis it’s caused. The foster care system is so overburdened that it can’t protect the children of Kansas, resulting in deaths, missing kids, kids sleeping in offices. And, clearly Kris Kobach wants to make that crisis worse.”
Kobach said he wanted a 30-hour-per-week work requirement for able-bodied adults taking part in Medicaid, known as KanCare in the state. The $3 billion program serves 400,000 disabled, elderly and women residents of the state, but only a small percentage would likely be classified as “able-bodied” adults.
He recommended the state’s work requirement rise from the current 20 hours each week to 30 hours weekly for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs.
The Republican nominee said he would try to obtain authority to impose drug testing for Medicaid and SNAP. The state conducts testing for recipients of TANF, which underwent an eligibility overhaul under Brownback that reduced participation by 84 percent in the state.
Implementation details of Kobach’s strategy weren’t outlined during a news conference in Topeka. Questions remained about a job training exemption to such limits would be handled and how drug testing would occur and whether a single positive test would ban a person for life.
In addition, Kobach said he would seek to require all people enrolled in Medicaid, TANF and SNAP to undergo verification to make certain each was a lawful resident of the United States.
Independent candidate Greg Orman said every government benefit program should be crafted to promote upward mobility and accountability among participants.
“Secretary Kobach’s plan, however, like many of his ill-advised policies, would have unintended consequences that he clearly hasn’t thought through. Does he really want to prevent a pregnant woman with a substance abuse problem from seeking pre-natal care?” Orman said.
Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate Jeff Caldwell expressed skepticism Kobach’s reforms would prove effective and theorized the plan would increase state government operating expenses.
“Florida had to scrap their drug testing experiment,” Caldwell said. “There should be comprehensive changes to the system instead of attempting to treat the symptom.”
Kobach specifically denounced Kelly, the Democratic senator from Topeka, for voting against legislation in 2015 and 2016 designed to Republican lawmakers to hold welfare recipients accountable and assist with their transition to the workforce. He said the best method of bringing dignity to people on government assistance was for them to get a job.
“Kansas has a very low unemployment rate, lower than the national average, and many employers are actively seeking applicants,” Kobach said. “It’s time to move people off of welfare and into jobs.”
