Debt ceiling fight: Republican Medicaid plan shows how to make work requirements work right

An important piece of the debt ceiling battle is the Republican Medicaid plan. Just like GOP did in 1996, it shows how to make work requirements work right.

In addition to work requirements, Republicans made changes to the way benefits were calculated to avoid penalizing people for earning more money. By ensuring that more work equaled higher net income, we transformed the program from a quagmire of dependence into a ladder to independence.   Newt Gingrich was Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995-1999 and a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. He is chairman of Gingrich 360.

The House GOP Medicaid work requirements build on the highly successful reforms to unemployment insurance and other welfare programs Republicans enacted in 1996.