Our View

Our View

Work requirement Arkansas Works still makes sense

This self-proclaimed liberal print voice of the Arkansas media in Little Rock is obsessed with telling its subscribers just how many Arkansas Works enrollees are being dumped from the system because they failed to comply with the program’s very lenient work requirement.

Hardly a week goes by that these so-called guardians of the poor within our state, which by the way exceeds a quarter million, are leading readers to believe requiring able bodied enrollees is simply cruel and emotionally harmful.

This newspapers latest sob story pointed out that more than 4,600 enrollees lost their health insurance in November for them failing to comply with the rules. It was pointed out that November was the worst month for coverage losses since the mean and cruel state began phasing in the work requirement in June.

Oh, by the way, the story had to also highlight the fact that terminations bring the total number of enrollees taking advantage of the government subsidies now is 16,932 which, the article pointed out, represents 44 percent of the 38,000 enrollees the state initially estimated would be subject to the work requirement this year.

These bleeding hearts also want us to know that meanwhile, an additional 1,936 enrollees had accumulated two months of noncompliance as of Dec. 7 and they will lose coverage Jan. 1, unless they get up off their rear ends and conform to the rules Let’s make it clear here folks that these canned enrollees had three months, yes three long months to comply with the work requirements. It is only after a long 90 days that they are finally dropped out of the program.

These bleeding heart liberal journalists de-emphasize the whole purpose of this work requirement which is to help those capable and able bodied recipients of this generous free health benefit to make themselves independent, acquire training and employment that will lead to self dependence and productive tax paying citizens.

Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson who spearheaded the work initiative countered the negative perception by saying he knows of 4,100 enrollees subject to the work requirement have actually started new jobs, which he made clear is a positive sign the “program is accomplishing its intent.”

The governor also said that the percentage of enrollees subject to the work requirement who were in compliance — either by reporting through the website or through an automatic exemption — has increased from 73 percent in August to 87 percent in November.

Hutchinson optimistically said, “This is a strong indication that more and more people are learning about the requirement and following through with their reporting.”

Let’s make it clear that the statistics, despite how the liberal media wants to spin it, support a strong belief that many of these individuals have moved into work and up the economic ladder which is exactly the intent.

Furthermore, let us point out the figure is unknown as to the number of enrollees who have dropped out of the program and have left the state.

Let us also point out that those who are terminated from the program during a year can reapply after a certain period of time.

No, this isn’t perfect but at least it is a viable attempt to direct individuals dependent upon government handouts to actually become more productive and self dependent which is something we should all support.