Is Having to Work for Medicaid and SNAP Good or Bad?
My viewpoint from experience
As I write this, the Senate has passed the amended "Big Beautiful Bill" by one vote. Now the bill is headed back to the House of Representatives. They need to consider the amendments and decide if they still support this bill.
A controversial aspect of this bill is the requirement that recipients or applicants for Medicaid and/or SNAP (food stamps), who do not have young children, must work. Their work can be employment, community service, or volunteer work. People with disabilities, who can work in some way, may have to work, but those who are physically or mentally unable would not be required to.
Understanding Medicaid and SNAP
Medicaid is a government health insurance benefit for people with low incomes, based on household size. SNAP provides a card that people can use to purchase food. Frequently, those who qualify for one of these also receive the other.
Is it Normal for Benefit Recipients to Work?
Most people who receive these benefits already work. Their incomes are low enough to qualify them and their families. They would not be affected by this bill unless they became unemployed.
You can find some interesting statistics regarding the number of Medicaid recipients who are working at
https://www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/most-medicaid-adults-are-working-kff-analysis-finds.
Did you know that many people who receive Social Security Disability work part-time? This is encouraged by Social Security, allowing individuals to supplement their benefits by earning wages, up to a limit that increases slightly each year. However, if they earn more than the limit, they can lose their disability benefits. Most people who receive Social Security Disability and work do not earn enough to lose their Medicaid and SNAP benefits.
The Personal Benefits of Working
Working can bring a sense of satisfaction and a feeling of belonging to people with disabilities, providing them with an opportunity for personal growth. That is equally true for those who are unemployed, giving them a chance to build job skills and have work experience to include on job applications.
My Experience With Work Requirements
In the 1970s, nationwide recipients of welfare benefits had work requirements. These requirements were for people without disabilities. This historical context provides a deeper understanding of the current debate.
At that time, I worked as the social work manager in a busy emergency assistance department of a local Salvation Army corps. We were able to use benefit recipient workers through a New York program called the Work Experience Program (WEP). Two workers were assigned to work in our department. I trained them so that they could handle intake and filing, which would help us serve large numbers of people requesting food, shelter, or clothing more efficiently.
As these new workers developed skills, they became able to determine which people were eligible for our temporary assistance. They would clear each case with a social worker before providing assistance. We valued our WEP workers, treating them with respect and acceptance as valuable coworkers.
The experience they gained helped prepare them for employment. They could use their work experience on their resumes and could use us as references. In fact, our department was eventually able to employ one of them.
Therefore, as I consider the work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP recipients, they appear to be good job preparation and experience opportunities. Their unpaid work experience can set them on the path to full-time employment, eliminating their need for these government benefits.
A Potential Problem With the Work Requirement
Funding will be needed in each state to implement this. Each county will need adequate numbers of trained Medicaid and SNAP caseworkers to ensure that work requirements are being met, in addition to their existing responsibilities for processing applications and recertifications. Additionally, more workers will be needed to explore work opportunities and assist in placing benefit recipients in volunteer positions, community service, job training, and paid employment. If recipients are left to find those opportunities on their own, they may not be able to. It could be an expensive program to run. However, the long-term benefits of moving people into employment may outweigh the cost.
Does the Bible Have Anything to Say About This?
Recently, in a women's Bible study, we discussed 2nd Thessalonians 3:10-15. A problem developed within the group of Thessalonian followers of Christ. Some people involved in their Christian fellowship refused to work, going around house to house, expecting to be given their meals. They were idle busybodies, meddling in other people's lives.
It appears that the Christians were accommodating them and feeding them when they arrived at mealtimes. The apostle Paul reminded them in this epistle that he had previously taught them, "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat."
He told them to set boundaries and admonish these people to help them realize that they were not living as God wanted them to live. He expressed hope that as Christians addressed this problem, it would help people change: to work instead of relying on others.
Notice that he did not say, "If a person cannot work," but if they will not. If the “Big Beautiful Bill” requires people who can work, but need Medicaid and SNAP benefits, then that part of the bill aligns with this Scripture.