Kentucky GOP Governor Cancels Dental, Vision Benefits For Nearly 500,000 Medicaid Recipients

GOP Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin is canceling dental and vision benefits for nearly 500,000 Medicaid recipients in the state following a court ruling that blocked him from imposing work requirements on Medicaid.

The cancellation of dental and vision coverage for thousands of enrollees in the state’s Medicaid expansion is an “an unfortunate consequence of the judge’s ruling,” Doug Hogan, a spokesman for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, told the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Democrats denounced Bevin’s decision.

“He said he wants to take dental and vision coverage away,” Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), said Monday. “We don’t think that’s legal either.”

The Hill notes:

Under Bevin’s Medicaid proposal, along with work requirements, enrollees would have had to earn dental and vision benefits through completing activities like taking classes or searching for a job. With the proposal blocked in court, Bevin’s administration is now canceling dental and vision benefits altogether.

The court ruling on Friday was a major setback for Bevin’s proposal and for the Trump administration’s efforts to allow states to impose Medicaid work requirements more broadly.

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled that the Trump administration did not adequately consider the coverage losses that would result from approving the work requirements, and that omission runs counter to furthering the program’s goal of providing health insurance.