Biden’s Sway Seen in Arkansas Medicaid Plan Without Work Mandate

An Arkansas plan to revamp its Medicaid program without strict work requirements and to address enrollees’ social needs signals that the Biden administration’s health-care policy priorities are making an impact in red states.

Arkansas was the first state to implement work requirements as a condition of Medicaid coverage and has been their most vigorous advocate, taking the legal fight over the rules all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Its new proposal retreats from that policy push and would make use of incentives rather than punitive measures to help increase employment and education, according to Gov. Asa Hutchinson. The ...