Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Monday evening that work requirements, such as the one Arkansas has imposed on some Medicaid recipients, are "a good thing" that can help build confidence in government programs.
His successor, former Gov. Mike Beebe, stopped short of expressing support for the provision, but said he understood why Gov. Asa Hutchinson added it.
"While I might have tried to do it a different way, Gov. Hutchinson was faced with a pragmatic situation, and he needed to continue the program," Beebe said.
Huckabee said a similar requirement, imposed on the state's welfare recipients during his tenure, had good results.
"When the dust was settled, people went to work," he said.
Beebe, a Democrat, and Huckabee, a Republican, spoke about the work requirement and other health care issues at an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
Most of the discussion focused on health policy issues the two former governors dealt with during their tenures. Huckabee cited the creation of ARKids First, which extended health coverage for children in low-income families, as his proudest achievement, while Beebe said his was an initiative to control health care costs.
Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.