New Federal Medicaid Rules Require One Month of Work. Some States Demand More. - KFF Health News Starting next year, about 18.5 million adults will be subject to new Medicaid work rules in 42 states and Washington, D.C. Applicants must show they’ve been working for at least a month before receivi...

State variation in Medicaid can be a plus, but in the context of HR 1/OBBBA it may lead to stricter requirements in some places kffhealthnews.org/news/article... #Medicaid #WorkRequirements #healthpolicy

The Year We Lost Medicaid Heidi Allen, MSW, PhD, from Columbia University discusses policy shifts that may reshape healthcare for millions in the US with JAMA Health Forum Editor in Chief and "The Year We Lost Medicaid" author Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH.

Great wide ranging conversation about Medicaid from @jamahealthforum.com edhub.ama-assn.org/jn-learning/... #Medicaid #healthpolicy

As States Implement Medicaid Community Engagement Requirements, Due Process Safeguards Loom Large | Health Affairs Forefront We begin with a discussion of OBBBA’s community engagement requirements and their impact on the eligibility determination process. We then turn to a recently decided case that underscores the importan...

New piece in Health Affairs highlights the importance of notices with clear language as states move forward in implementing #Medicaid work requirements www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore... #healthpolicy

Understanding CMS’s “Emmy” Medicaid Work Requirement Tools CMS recently announced it is developing a suite of resources to support states in implementing the Medicaid work requirement (which takes effect in most states in January 2027), including technical pr...

A helpful overview of the "Emmy" consent-based verification tool that CMS is piloting with states as they work to implement Medicaid work requirements, and the companion "Emmy API" to streamline access to certain data sources:

‘A crisis in the making’: Nebraska races to impose work requirements on Medicaid The state’s May 1 enforcement will be a test case for what could happen nationwide in January.

Not only is NE first out of the gate, its gov't plans to do it w/out hiring any add'l staff, even as other states prepare to bring aboard dozens if not hundreds of new employees to determine who should remain enrolled & who should be booted from Medicaid politico.com/news/2026/04... #Medicaid

Medicaid and Upcoming State Budget Debates | KFF This brief describes current state fiscal conditions as states begin fiscal year 2027 budget debates and highlights key areas to watch for Medicaid policy changes as states respond to fiscal challenge...

Many states are in session navigating budgets for the upcoming fiscal year amid more tenuous fiscal conditions and major federal changes to #Medicaid. While debate continues, here is a look at some key issues we are watching as debate unfolds: www.kff.org/medicaid/med...

"Medicaid is the largest payer of opioid use disorder treatment, and in 2023 it covered nearly half of all non-elderly adults in the U.S. with opioid use disorder in 2023" #Medicaid #OUD #healthpolicy

The Clock is Ticking on Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Implementation Authors: Elizabeth Dervan and Kinda Serafi

Pending questions: Will CMS grant “good faith” waivers permitting states to delay implementation when severe or unexpected challenges arise? Will we have consistent data to track the work requirement rollout? 80million.substack.com/p/the-clock-... #Medicaid #WorkRequirements #OBBBA #HR1

In Missouri, farm bureau plans don’t cover any preexisting medical conditions for at least six months.

People with diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart problems may be turned down or have to pay out-of-pocket for years.

More states are allowing health coverage through these types of plans.

States Face Another Challenge With Medicaid Work Rules: Staffing Shortages - KFF Health News Some states already don’t have enough staff to quickly process Medicaid applications and answer enrollees’ phone calls. Researchers say they may not be prepared to handle new Medicaid work rules, predicting people will lose coverage as a result.

ID said it has 40 eligibility worker vacancies. NY estimated it will need 80 new employees. PA said it has nearly 400 open positions. IN's Medicaid agency has 94 open positions. ME wants to hire 90 additional staffers, & MA wants to hire 70 more.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article... #Medicaid

A $50 billion fund to help rural hospitals could actually lead to closures and cuts States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund established by Congress to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.

States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund established by Congress to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services. n.pr/4bOT4zC

New @urbaninstitute.bsky.social estimates of two H.R. 1 cuts targeting #Medicaid expansion: work reporting requirements & 6 month renewals. Depending on state mitigation, expansion enrollment falls 5 to 10 million (27-55%) in 2028 compared to 18 million under prior law. www.urban.org/research/pub...

Medicaid’s Newest Reform Is a Morass of Red Tape Complying with the new federal rules will be a challenge for states and contractors alike.

Another look at GA as an example of what could happen with the HR1/OBBBA work requirement: But of the 240,000 eligible for the program, only 8,077 were enrolled. Some did not meet the work requirements but others, like Seaborn, got caught up in red tape. www.governing.com/health/medic... #Medicaid

Building Medicare Knowledge to Advance State Medicare-Medicaid Integrated Care Programs - Center for Health Care Strategies This brief highlights strategies and shares resources that select states are using to build and sustain Medicare capacity over time to better respond to new federal rules, onboard staff, and adapt int...

This brief outlines state strategies to build essential Medicare capacity — helping Medicaid programs respond to federal rules, onboard new staff, & adapt integration efforts as the Medicare landscape evolves. bit.ly/47zf1Bt

Rising Health Costs Push Some Middle-Aged Adults To Skip the Doc Until Medicare - KFF Health News Adults ages 50 through 64 faced some of the steepest increases in out-of-pocket costs for Obamacare plans after a set of federal subsidies expired at the end of December. Some say they are putting off...

Middle-aged adults faced some of the steepest increases in Obamacare premium payments this year. Some are skipping care until they’re old enough for Medicare.

“Medicare is going to have to spend a whole heck of a lot of money covering and dealing with their treatment,” said one expert.

Advancing Effective Work Requirements Implementation via Member Engagement and Outreach - Center for Health Care Strategies The 2025 budget reconciliation act (P.L. 119-21) directs state Medicaid agencies to implement work requirements — also referred to as community engagement requirements — for some Medicaid enrollees by...

Member engagement is critical as states design new Medicaid work requirements. CHCS’ new collaborative, with support from the @commonwealthfund.org, will help states elevate member voices and reduce unintended coverage loss. Learn more and apply: bit.ly/4lAtD9F #Medicaid #WorkRequirement

Oversight strengthens public programs when precise & collaborative. When blunt, it risks destabilizing programs such as #Medicaid HCBS—the very system that bipartisan policy has spent decades building—& harming disabled & aging people whose lives depend on HCBS. www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

Biting Into Medicaid: What Happens When States Cut and Expand Medicaid Dental Benefits? If policymakers want to protect access to dental care while managing Medicaid costs, adult dental benefits should not be treated as a go-to option for cuts.

When benefits are cut and patients don’t realize it, they risk unexpected out-of-pocket costs. In addition, when benefits expand and they again don’t realize it, the policy can’t deliver on its promise of enhanced access to services. #Medicaid #Dental www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2026/bi...

Florida Hasn’t Expanded Medicaid. Lawmakers Want To Add Work Requirements Anyway. - KFF Health News Florida is not mandated to add work requirements for Medicaid, because the state has not expanded eligibility to more low-income adults. But lawmakers have proposed requiring some adults in the state’...

Many states must adopt Medicaid work requirements by January under Trump's Big Beautiful Bill.

That's not required in Florida, but lawmakers there are proposing the work requirements anyway.

The move baffles health care advocates. Some doubt it’s even legal.

Despite Their Successes, Some Mobile Crisis Response Teams Are in Crisis - KFF Health News Mobile crisis units are trained to respond to emergency calls when people are experiencing delusions or hallucinations. But unlike police departments, which are generally funded by local taxpayers, mo...

Many cities send teams of mental health professionals to respond to calls for people experiencing delusions or hallucinations instead of police.

But without consistent sources of funding, some mobile crisis teams are shutting down despite their successes. Can states step in?

Idaho considers an 'apocalyptic' choice for disabled people and families Difficult budget decisions in a number of states are threatening vital programs for disabled people at home and caregivers in the workforce.

Stephanie Walters doesn’t know what she will do if Idaho stops funding home care for her daughter... But because of steep cuts to #Medicaid from Donald Trump’s signature policy measure, state officials are considering the unthinkable. 19thnews.org/2026/03/idah... #healthpolicy #OBBBA

What Newly Released Medicaid Data Do and Don’t Tell Us | KFF On February 14, 2026, CMS released a dataset with provider-level spending data that the agency suggests could be used to identify unusual billing patterns for specific services, states, or providers. ...

CMS recently released #Medicaid provider-level data suggesting that it could be used to identify fraud. Important read from @alicelburns.bsky.social & @robinr.bsky.social @kff.org about the limitations of the data and how it can be misused: www.kff.org/medicaid/wha...

New Medicaid Work Rules Likely To Hit Middle-Aged Adults Hard - KFF Health News Republicans have said new rules requiring many Medicaid participants to work 80 hours a month will pinpoint unemployed young people who should have jobs. Policy researchers say the rules are more like...

We heard a lot from GOP leaders last year that Medicaid work reporting requirements were designed to get 29 yr old men "off their couches."

The reality will be quite different with many older women age 50-64 at risk of losing their health insurance.

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

NC Medicaid leaders seek funding strategy as federal work requirements — and their costs — loom Officials present hospitals, more taxes on health insurers and state savings as options to cover rising administrative costs.

HR 1/OBBBA state impacts: The federal gov't has given NC $1.9M to implement the work requirement, but Bush said the state still needs $6.5M to cover “startup costs,” along with $3.3M per quarter for ongoing administrative costs www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/01/30/m... #Medicaid #NCleg

Kids Lose When Federal Vaccine Coverage Rules Are Unclear Rollbacks in federal vaccine recommendations create uncertainty for families and providers and can result in delayed or restricted access to lifesaving vaccines.

When national vaccine recommendations change, coverage can disappear—impacting nearly half of all U.S. children who rely on #Medicaid. See our new blog post to learn why vaccine guidelines matter for children’s health www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2026/ki...

Great opportunity for someone looking for a midlevel position.

State Health Care Cost Commissions: Their Priorities and How States’ Political Leanings, Commercial Hospital Prices, and Medicaid Spending Predict Their Establishment | Milbank Quarterly This study identifies states that have established health care cost commissions (HCCCs), examines state-level political and economic factors associated with their establishment, and reports which of t...

ICYMI, check out “State Health Care Cost Commissions: Their Priorities and How States’ Political Leanings, Commercial Hospital Prices, and Medicaid Spending Predict Their Establishment” by Brent Fulton, Dan Arnold, Jordan M. Wolf & Richard Scheffler in The Milbank Quarterly.

Great thread on recent materials published by @georgetownccf.bsky.social. If you are interested in all things #Medicaid, children and families, you should follow Georgetown CCF and individual accounts like @joanalker1.bsky.social to stay up to date

FYI - New @nhelp.bsky.social resource for those tracking HR 1/OBBBA #Medicaid work requirement implementation

New resource from @ncslorg.bsky.social for state legislators and those who support them on leg strategies for addressing the #Medicaid budget. Great resource as budget season begins & leg members understand new admin costs of HR 1/OBBBA www.ncsl.org/health/the-m...