"It’s almost certainly going to be a huge problem. There’s already some evidence that people who know about these new work requirements don't realize it will apply to them, anecdotal evidence. 'Well, I'm not on Medicaid. I'm on BadgerCare or [HUSKY Health] in Connecticut' or whatever the case may be." Pamela Herd, professor of social policy at the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, said one reason states adopted these familiar-feeling names for their Medicaid programs was to ease stigmas associated with being enrolled in federal assistance.
“There is this kind of irony that that very reasonable attempt to kind of reduce stigma and make these programs feel more like a regular health insurance as opposed to a welfare program, has absolutely produced all these kinds of problems that you're identifying,” Herd said.
