26 States Sue to Block Medicaid Work Requirements
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- 26 states filed suit Monday against the federal government to block Medicaid work requirements, with Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont joining as plaintiffs
- The new federal rules require most Medicaid recipients ages 19 to 64 to work, attend school, or volunteer at least 80 hours per month
- Massachusetts alone could see hundreds of thousands of residents lose health insurance coverage under the requirements
- The lawsuit argues the guidelines released this month create an unfair bureaucratic maze for people entitled to Medicaid coverage
- States face a Jan. 1 deadline to implement the requirements, creating implementation turmoil even as litigation proceeds
Why it matters: Hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts Medicaid enrollees alone could lose coverage under rules requiring 80 hours monthly of work, school, or volunteering. With a Jan. 1 implementation deadline now colliding with a 26-state legal challenge, both beneficiaries and state administrators face immediate uncertainty about who keeps coverage.
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