State Rep. Greg Markkanen on Wednesday voted to protect work requirements for the Healthy Michigan program. The requirements, which are currently inactive because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, have garnered increased attention following Republicans electoral success last week.

House Bill 4224 would repeal work requirements for the Healthy Michigan program. The plan passed the House along party lines.

“Most families include at least one person who is working a full-time job to provide for their loved ones; it only makes sense that people receiving government assistance should also be required to hold down a job,” said Markkanen, R-Hancock. “Luckily, most people receiving government assistance are doing everything they can to earn a steady income so they can eventually not need the help. Unfortunately, some need an extra push to become employed and active members of society.”

The requirements repealed Tuesday had several exemptions, including a parent taking care of a child in the absence of another parent. They were also not limited to employment or self-employment. The 20-hour per week requirement could be filled by education training, unpaid internships, participation in substance use disorder treatment, or community service.

“Medicaid recipients could spend 20 hours a week volunteering in a soup kitchen and still meet the work requirement,” Markkanen said. “Democrats make it sound like these requirements force people to undergo hard labor for 80-plus hours a week – that couldn’t be farther from the truth. These reasonable requirements are meant to help those people find career opportunities that will help them become financially independent.”

The work requirements were enacted to prepare Medicaid recipients for future success. The law, which took effect in 2020, required able-bodied adults to participate in work for at least 80 hours a month, a 20-hour-per-week average. The requirements were in place until March 2020, when they were halted by a court order.

Should the Supreme Court reverse the court order, the requirements could go back into effect if the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services goes through the process of reenacting them.

The plan now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

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