With States Pushing for Medicaid Work Requirements Again, Who Is at Risk?
-
Mar 21, 2025
Since Donald Trump returned to the presidency, officials in several states have moved to resurrect their Medicaid work requirements demonstrations. During the confirmation hearing of Mehmet Oz, M.D., Trump’s pick to lead CMS, Oz also signaled that he supports Medicaid work requirements. However, if Congress passes a federal Medicaid work requirement, millions of beneficiaries could lose eligibility for health care coverage, according to recent studies.
During Trump’s first term, CMS approved 13 Section 1115 waivers that conditioned Medicaid coverage on meeting work and reporting requirements, but most were either struck down by federal judges or never implemented. The Biden administration then withdrew the waivers in all states. The only work mandate in effect is in Georgia, after the state successfully sued the Biden administration over its decision to rescind the state’s waiver. The state partially expanded Medicaid while also implementing work requirements in 2023, but its Georgia Pathways to Coverage program enrolled only 6,948 people as of Feb. 28, 2025, roughly 75% fewer than the state had estimated. As of January, the program had a backlog of 16,000 applications awaiting processing, according to the state’s documents.
Read more
© 2024 MMIT
The Latest
Meet Our Reporters
Meet Our Reporters
GAIN THERAPEUTIC AREA-SPECIFIC INTEL TO DRIVE ACCESS FOR YOUR BRAND
Sign up for publications to get unmatched business intelligence delivered to your inbox.