By Greg Bishop/Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – A doctor and author says requiring able-bodied people to work in order to receive Medicaid benefits will help everyone involved.

While the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services says it’s reviewing the federal government’s proposal for states to require able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work, Dr. Myles Schneider, who wrote the book “Restoring ‘Health’ To Healthcare,” said the move makes sense.

“The people who work, who are working, if they can, if they are physically and mentally involved, have a much better chance to be healthier and live longer and have a better quality of life,” Schneider said.

Schneider also said such a requirement would save taxpayers money and make Medicaid stronger.

“Maybe they can get an employer-sponsored plan, which I think they’d rather have than Medicaid,” Schneider said. “That would get them off of Medicaid and would leave more money in Medicaid for people on Medicaid who really need it.”

Around a quarter of Illinois’ budget every year is eaten up by Medicaid costs.

HFS spokesman John Hoffman said the proposed federal policy is under review.

Hoffman also said Illinois is making progress on its Section 1115 waiver to the federal government to invest billions of dollars in new Medicaid policies up front in order to save billions in the long run. That proposal was submitted in October 2016