This Arizona nonprofit is trying to help Medicaid recipients stay enrolled with new work rules

New rules from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have outlined work requirements for Americans on Medicaid.

Those rules come out of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" Act, but CMS' proposal went further than some states had expected. They generally require non-pregnant adults between the ages of 19-64 to work at least 80 hours per month, and they will start on New Year’s Day.

That potentially means more work for Katherine Adams. Adams is executive vice president at Pipeline Connects, which helps people find the right job opportunities.

Adams says if the Arizona workforce system were a shopping mall, her nonprofit is the directory at the front door. The Show talked with her about what impact the new Medicaid work requirements might have on what she does.

Full conversation

KATHERINE ADAMS: We have thought about this a lot. And I think when people are hearing about these new work requirements, they often assume the challenge is that most people don’t want to work. But that is not what we are seeing.

Most people who can work already do, or they’re actively trying to improve their situation through education or training. And so, the challenge is often not that the system is complicated, but imagine being told you need to complete 80 hours of work a month, training, education or work, or community service to keep coverage. Nobody tells you where to start. That’s the problem that Pipeline Connects can really help to solve.

MARK BRODIE: Do you anticipate that once these cuts go into effect, you’re going to have a lot more people coming to you looking for that kind of help?

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KATHERINE ADAMS: Absolutely. I think why this is important now is the new requirement is going to add another layer of complexity. Again, it’s not the concern of whether people are willing to participate. I think the concern is whether people know where to go, how to get connected, how to document their participation.

For many, especially adults, that are returning to education or training after years away, trying to navigate a system can be very overwhelming. So, one of the biggest barriers that we’re seeing is the misconceptions that just opportunity doesn’t exist in general. But in many cases, the opportunity is there. It’s just hidden in plain sight. What’s missing is really awareness.

So, community colleges in Arizona, workforce programs, apprenticeship opportunities, adult education providers, employers actively looking for talent, these all exist. But if people don’t know how to find that opportunity that’s best suited for them, they might as well not exist. So, often we say, you know, that a hidden opportunity is the same as no opportunity at all.

MARK BRODIE: Are you prepared to handle a potential influx of people who need to to find work and need to find work that they can document to keep their coverage?

KATHERINE ADAMS: Absolutely. So, we I just want to take an example for example's sake. So, taking a single mom that lives in Yuma. She may be working part time, receiving Medicaid, and looking for a better-paying career. She doesn’t necessarily know whether she could get or needs a certificate, she should enroll in a college program, pursue healthcare training or connect with a workforce center. These are all big questions.

So, instead of spending weeks trying to navigate multiple agencies, websites, Pipeline Connects can help her connect to programs and opportunities that make sense for her goals. So, making a pathway visible based on where she’s at.

MARK BRODIE: So, in terms of the documentation, how easy or difficult is it for somebody who is on Medicaid to get that documentation and get it in a timely manner, in the format they need it, so they can get it to where they need to get it to keep their coverage?

KATHERINE ADAMS: Yeah. So, as we know, there’s multiple ways you can document that. I want to talk about, for an adult education student, this is really especially important. So, someone may be earning a GED, completing an English as a second-language program, earning a certified nursing assistant credential, or completing workforce readiness training, or maybe even finishing a healthcare certificate through adult education. All of these accomplishments matter, and they represent real progress towards employment and economic mobility.

But too often, these achievements are trapped inside separate systems or paper records. So, part of what we’re doing is working to make these credentials visible, so learners can move more easily and connect to jobs, education opportunities, and workforce programs.

So, when we think about these new requirements through Medicaid, the visibility matters. If someone’s participating in training, earning credentials or attending school, or preparing for employment, those achievements need to be easier to recognize and easier to build on.

MARK BRODIE: How easy or difficult is it to sort of increase the visibility of those things?

KATHERINE ADAMS: So, most people think of a career as a resume and a job application. We think of it as a journey. We are currently working to provide visible credentials, which is essentially an employment record, which is visibly on a profile that helps people ensure that all these steps along the journey can be recognized, and not only through that individual, but also by employers, colleges and workforce partners.

MARK BRODIE: Is it safe to say that you already work with Medicaid enrollees in Arizona?

KATHERINE ADAMS: Absolutely.

MARK BRODIE: And what has their and your experience been in terms of, you know, making sure, because you referenced, you know, most people who are on Medicaid and are able to work are already working. Like, I guess, what what are you hearing from them in terms of what these new requirements might mean for them?

KATHERINE ADAMS: I think the biggest opportunity that we’re hearing about collectively, and we do work with different sectors, so we work with healthcare sector and we work with other sectors, but obviously everyone is affected by Medicaid.

But really at the end of the day, what we’re seeing is whether people can see a path forward, and can we help them to have those opportunities that they seek more visible, accessible, and in a space where it’s easier to navigate, so everyone has a fair chance to continue to move forward.

MARK BRODIE: So, what are you going to be watching for specifically once these new requirements take effect to see what kind of impact they’re having, both on the people with whom you’re working, but also with Pipeline Connects?

KATHERINE ADAMS: Yeah, I think that, you know, we have a lot of data that we are able to take a look at within the system of Pipeline Connects, and it’s telling us a lot. I mean, we’re actually seeing where people are interested. So, where does interest exist?

We can see what careers people are exploring. We can see what pathways are starting to illuminate as being very viable or prioritized by our partners here, our community, and employer partners. And we can see where and industries are really attracting attention and looking for talent, and starting to identify where awareness gaps exist. So, if there’s a strong demand from employers for healthcare workers, but relatively low awareness amongst learners or people seeking those opportunities, there’s a red flag.

So, that’s the kind of data and insight that really helps us, that we can provide back to education providers or workforce organizations, and even policymakers to help us collectively make better decisions for Arizona. Especially with these new requirements, it’s just important to kind of understand the landscape at a better collective view.

MARK BRODIE: Katherine Adams is executive vice president at Pipeline Connects.

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