Trump administration delays Medicaid work requirements by six months

Detailed summary

Work requirements were set to go into effect on Jan. 1 for many able-bodied adults who receive Medicaid, which could have left millions without health insurance.

The federal government on Friday announced a six-month delay in enforcing a Medicaid work requirement — a central provision in President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that experts said would lead millions of Americans to lose health coverage.

The requirement still technically starts on Jan. 1, but under new guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, states that choose not to enforce it won’t be held accountable until at least July 1.

The move is a striking turn for an administration that has spent months defending the policy against criticism from state officials and healthcare advocates who warned that the rollout was moving too quickly and that people who should be eligible for Medicaid would lose coverage because of the additional red tape and paperwork.

CMS called the six-month window a “hold harmless” period, and the delay is optional. States that choose to take advantage of this period will still start checking on Jan. 1 whether Medicaid enrollees are working, volunteering or in school or whether they qualify for an exemption. But until July, no one in those states will lose coverage for failing to meet the requirements.

“States have made real progress, and they’ve been clear with us about what it takes to get this right for beneficiaries — at scale and for the long term,” said Dan Brillman, who oversees Medicaid at CMS.

Some states have already moved forward with implementing the work requirements. In Nebraska, which launched the work requirements May 1, over 1,000 people have lost coverage or been denied benefits because of the new rules, according to state figures through August.

The Medicaid work requirement was a cornerstone of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” a massive tax and spending package that overwhelmingly benefited the wealthy through tax breaks while slashing the social safety net for vulnerable Americans.

The law requires many able-bodied adults under the age of 65 to prove they work, volunteer or attend school at least 80 hours…

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