Medicaid work requirement on path to S.D. voters

Resolution would allow Legislature to eventually consider idea

Rep. Tony Venhuizen answers questions from Majority Leader Casey Crabtree. The two are carrying a ballot initiative regarding Medicaid work requirements. (Austin Goss/The Dakota Scout)

PIERRE – Should able-bodied recipients of Medicaid in South Dakota be required to work in order to receive the government health care benefit? 

For Sioux Falls Representative Tony Venhuizen, the answer is a resounding yes – but it's a question that can ultimately only be decided by the voters, and the federal government.

The freshman lawmaker’s resolution to put the question on the general election ballot easily cleared the Senate State Affairs Committee Wednesday morning along a party-line vote. 

If voters were to approve Venhuizen’s resolution in November, it would only give the Legislature the ability to debate a work requirement in the future. Currently, the Biden Administration forbids states with expanded access to Medicaid from doing so. 

“We are asking voters a clarifying question: Is this something that we should be able to consider?” Venhuizen said to committee members.

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