States that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act must eventually mandate that childless, working-age recipients log at least 80 hours monthly of work, schooling, or community service. The mandate stems from the One Big Beautiful Bill passed last year, but administrators faced intense pressure to update IT infrastructure in time. Relief came after a federal judge threw out the government's standard for medical frailty, ruling that states lacked adequate resources to meet the initial timetable.
Key points
States that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act are subject to the new commun…: States that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act are subject to the new community engagement rules.
Individuals who are disabled, medically frail, or caring for young children will remain e…: Individuals who are disabled, medically frail, or caring for young children will remain exempt from the monthly mandates.
The six-month delay prevents states from rushing complex system overhauls that the court…: The six-month delay prevents states from rushing complex system overhauls that the court found under-resourced.
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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Friday that it is giving states an additional six months to begin enforcing Medicaid work requirements.
States have been racing to prepare their Medicaid systems by Jan. 1 to include the work requirements passed last year in the One Big Beautiful Bill. States that expanded Medicaid after Democrats passed the Affordable Care Act must ensure all working-age recipients without dependent children are employed, in school, or volunteering at least 80 hours each month, unless they are disabled, caring for young children, or “medically frail.”
A federal judge recently rejected the federal government’s medical frailty definition and ruled that states did not have adequate time or resources to overhaul their eligibility systems.
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