Study Reveals How Non-Disabled Medicaid Recipients Spend Their Time
Recent findings suggest that non-disabled Americans on Medicaid often spend their time engaging in video games and watching TV. This study was highlighted by Congressional Republicans aiming to reform federal benefits that have been in place for 60 years.
The American Enterprise Institute’s survey indicates that Medicaid recipients aged 19-64 who do not have children spend roughly 4.2 hours a day on leisure activities, which totals to around 126 hours a month.
Under the provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Republicans passed last month, these individuals will be required to work starting in 2027, either through community service or attending school, which involves significantly more than the current requirement of 80 hours a month.
Moreover, the survey showed that while non-disabled beneficiaries spend about four hours daily on household chores and errands, they dedicate only 22 minutes to job searching.
A recent report shared by House Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted that those working at least four hours a day while receiving Medicaid benefits tend to watch TV for an additional 2.7 hours.
“Consider single mothers with two young children trying to make ends meet; we don’t want healthy individuals lingering in this program,” Johnson mentioned in a CNN interview.
“The purpose of Medicaid is different. It’s not designed for a 29-year-old man sitting idle on a couch. We intend for those individuals to return to work,” he added.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that implementing labor requirements for Medicaid could save the federal government as much as $723 billion over the next decade. However, some Democrats have criticized the GOP’s approach, noting that this move could potentially displace up to 7.6 million current Medicaid recipients.
The recent changes were included in a House Republican bill that narrowly passed along party lines.
Some GOP senators have expressed concerns that Medicaid reforms may be a sticking point before the bill is brought to the floor for a vote.
“We had a productive conversation with President Trump about this significant bill. Once again, he reassured us that benefits for Medicaid would not be reduced,” Sen. Josh Hawley conveyed on Monday.
Others, like Sen. Ron Johnson, have pointed out instances of “fraud” within the benefit system, particularly involving undocumented immigrants.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune commented this week on the complexities of the situation, acknowledging that while there are certainly individuals who genuinely rely on Medicaid—like pregnant women and those with disabilities—there are also cases of misuse.
In a press release, Trump’s White House promoted the “Big Beautiful Building” initiative to safeguard Medicaid for those who genuinely need assistance. The statement emphasized efforts to cut down on what they deemed waste and fraud by potentially eliminating benefits for 1.4 million individuals they believe are gaming the system.
Kevin Corinth, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, used data from the American Time Use Survey alongside adjustments from the current census to estimate the findings of this study. The data reflects averages pooled from 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023, with 2020 left out due to the pandemic.
