Wisconsin requests approval to test Medicaid applicants drug use

Wisconsin has requested the US government to allow it to be the first state to test Medicaid applicants for drug use.

Medicaid is a health care program for low-income families and individuals, funded by the US government and administered by individual states, which can tailor its coverage.

In a press release, Governor Scott Walker praised Wisconsin’s proposed plan as a role model for welfare reform in other states, saying that it would treat drug addicts and increase their employment chances.

Currently, no state mandates drug testing for Medicaid applicants, but 14 states require drug testing for recipients of benefits from other public programs. Some Wisconsin jobs programs require drug testing for participants, but only a small number have tested positive.

The federal government could decide on the request this summer. If approved, drug testing would begin in April 2019.

Wisconsin’s proposed plan for Medicaid recipients would apply to non-disabled adults who do not have children, or approximately 148,000 of the 1.2 million individuals enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program, BadgerCare. BadgerCare provides health care benefits to single adults earning less than $12,060 (£9,310) per annum, and couples earning less than $16,240 (£12,534).

The proposal will limit adults to four years of Medicaid benefits if they don’t meet work requirements. Benefits could resume after they begin working for a minimum of 80 hours a month or start looking for employment.