Legal experts are raising concerns about a Missouri proposal to require adult Medicaid recipients to work.
A bill pending in a Missouri House committee would require "proof of workforce participation" for many adults to be eligible for Medicaid. It's part of a broader proposal that would change the way the program is administered and expand coverage to more lower-income adults.
But a Saint Louis University law professor and an attorney for Legal Services of Eastern Missouri both testified Monday that the work requirement doesn't appear to be authorized under federal Medicaid laws.
Missouri would need special approval from the federal government to implement the work requirement. Joel Ferber, of Legal Services, said it's unlikely President Barack Obama's administration would grant that.