By — Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press By — Fatima Hussein, Associated Press Fatima Hussein, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/u-s-gives-states-another-6-months-before-they-have-to-remove-people-from-medicaid-for-not-working Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter U.S. gives states another 6 months before they have to remove people from Medicaid for not working Health Nov 14, 2026 1:05 PM EST President Donald Trump's administration told states Friday that they can wait until July before removing people from Medicaid for failing to meet a work requirement. The requirement is scheduled to take effect nationally on Jan. 1, and states have been scrambling to put in place the staffing, training and technology to implement it by then. The administration clarified that while states still have the option to take action at the beginning of the year, they won't have to kick anyone off or deny coverage for failure to meet the requirement until July 1. Medicaid is the joint state-federal health insurance program for lower-income people. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services told state Medicaid directors on Friday…
U.S. gives states another 6 months before they have to remove people from Medicaid for not working
In short
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that states will not be required to immediately deny coverage to non-compliant beneficiaries when the national policy begins on Jan. 1. Under the new rules, qualifying low-income adults without dependent children must log at least 80 monthly hours of work or volunteering, or attend school half-time. The six-month delay follows a formal request by federal lawmakers citing court decisions that exempt medically frail enrollees from standard qualification checks.
Key points
- Local agencies receive essential time to resolve technology and staffing challenges befor…: Local agencies receive essential time to resolve technology and staffing challenges before terminating health coverage.
- Critics warn that vulnerable low-income enrollees risk losing health coverage purely due…: Critics warn that vulnerable low-income enrollees risk losing health coverage purely due to administrative reporting hurdles.
- Incoming congressional Democrats who assume control in January intend to actively pursue…: Incoming congressional Democrats who assume control in January intend to actively pursue a full rollback of the mandate.