FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 2, 2022) – Legislation aimed at retooling the state’s public assistance programs to eliminate fraud and misuse was filed Tuesday by House Speaker Pro Tem David Meade and House Speaker David Osborne.

The bill, HB 7, would establish work requirements for able-bodied adults who receive public assistance, toughen penalties for the misuse of benefits, and prevent anyone delinquent in paying child support from receiving benefits.

“It is way past time to change the way we approach public assistance. More than a third of our state’s population receives Medicaid benefits while we have almost a hundred thousand jobs unfilled. We clearly need to retool our welfare programs to make sure those receiving benefits qualify and that we’re encouraging able-bodied individuals to join the workforce,” Meade said.

In addition, HB 7 would require the state to stop paying benefits to those who do not meet all eligibility requirements to qualify for public assistance. Osborne stressed that the bill is the first step in a commitment to removing barriers for those on public assistance to work.

“We are a state with many needs and limited resources and every dollar we spend on public assistance is money that isn’t being spent educating our children, paving our roads, and growing our economy,” Osborne added. “We know there are those who are not able to work because of a health or mental condition, but we also recognize that there are far more that should be in the workforce contributing to the economy. These programs were created to help people, not cripple any opportunity they might have to build a life for themselves and their families.”

The measure also includes a provision aimed at holding hospitals accountable for their role in determining eligibility when screening for public assistance. Hospitals began screening all patients for Medicaid eligibility after the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010. Historically, only children and pregnant women were eligible for coverage before their application was fully processed.

To read the entire text of HB 7 and track its progress, visit legislature.ky.gov.