Trump’s New Medicaid Work Requirements Are Here
Nebraska has become the first state to implement Medicaid work requirements ahead of the January 1, 2027 deadline, affecting around 70,000 adults enrolled through Medicaid expansion. Critics argue that such requirements do not increase employment and instead create administrative barriers that risk disenrolling eligible individuals from health coverage. Exemptions exist for certain groups, but concerns remain about inadequate protections for people with chronic or emerging conditions like Long Covid.
- ▪Nebraska is the first state to enact Medicaid work requirements, doing so seven months before the federal deadline.
- ▪Approximately 70,000 Nebraskans under age 65 enrolled in Medicaid expansion could lose coverage due to the new work requirements.
- ▪Most non-SSI Medicaid recipients already work either full or part time, challenging the rationale behind work requirements.
- ▪The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities warns that states lack sufficient time to implement humane and effective systems for work requirements.
- ▪Long Covid is not included among Nebraska’s qualifying conditions for work requirement exemptions despite its potential impact on work capacity.
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freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "motherjones_right_rail_1", slotId: "ROS_ATF_300x600" }); Medicaid work requirements do nothing to meaningfully increase work. Gina M Randazzo/Zuma Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. On Friday, Nebraska became the first state to enact Medicaid work requirements, mandatory for states with Medicaid expansion due to Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Notably, the state did it seven months before the deadline. Now, around 70,000 adults below the age of 65 in Nebraska who have Medicaid through its expansion could risk having their health insurance ripped away from them. Medicaid work requirements do not increase employment.
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