Medicaid wants work requirements, but forgot about the homeless

So, the latest push to attach work requirements to Medicaid is officially here, and it’s a masterclass in missing the point. The people in charge of drafting these exemptions apparently spent so much time debating who should work that they straight-up forgot that homeless people exist. It’s a bold strategy: demand someone show a pay stub to keep their doctor, while they’re currently living in a tent without a mailing address.

The irony of asking someone to prove they’re working while they’re busy just trying to survive the night is clearly lost on the policy wonks. It’s almost impressive how they managed to carve out exceptions for almost every other demographic while leaving the folks who arguably need the safety net the most totally high and dry.

Apparently, you can't be too poor to qualify if you're too busy being invisible to the state.