Rescind the Medicaid Work Requirement Waiver

If you are sick, don't head to the doctors — head to work. That's the logic of the Trump Administration's new Medicaid guidelines that will let states set work requirements for some of America's most vulnerable citizens. The disabled, elderly and notably those suffering from opioid addiction are now at risk of losing coverage.

The new communique issued last week means states will be able to kick Medicaid recipients off their rolls for not having employment. Trump believes the new policy will encourage people to work and thus it will make them more healthy.

However, how taking health care away from those who need it most will actually make them more healthy has yet to be explained.

Particularly worrying is the fact that Medicaid has been crucial in helping to battle the nation's opioid epidemic. In fact, since the expansion under Obamacare, Medicaid spending on prescription treatments for opioid use disorder increased by more than two-fold.

At a time when America is dealing with — what our Commander in Chief himself has described as — "The worst drug crisis in American history" his policies actually risk making it even worse.

Case in point, according to the Huffington Post, the first state likely to apply for a waiver will be Kentucky — a state that suffers from some of the highest overdose rates in the entire nation.

It's time to ask if our president really cares about helping Americans suffering from opioid addiction, and if so, why is he trying to derail programs that could help end this crisis.

Tell the Trump Administration to protect Medicaid for America's most vulnerable. Sign the petition and ask the Trump Administration to rescind their new guidelines.