States feel crunch of Medicaid work requirement deadline as they await clarity from CMS

[lostincalifornia]

"BOSTON — Even as many parts of the new Medicaid work requirements remain unclear, states are beginning to feel the deadline pressure, three current and former state Medicaid directors said Thursday.

A key way President Trump’s recent tax bill aims to cut almost $1 trillion in Medicaid spending over a decade is by adding work requirements. Some states have tried to beef up eligibility requirements in the past, including during the first Trump administration. Through that process, they learned what kinks must be smoothed out in order for work requirements to go live by Jan. 1, 2027, the directors said at the STAT Summit Thursday.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to release guidance to states by June, though it may come before then. That is a tight timeline, MassHealth Undersecretary Mike Levine said. “The next 14 months is going to go really quickly,” he said.

............

For example, by law, a Medicaid beneficiary with a “serious and complex” medical condition will not be subject to the new work requirements. However, the definition of “serious and complex” is not clear, so states are left making educated guesses, Levine said. They may have to change their programs down the road once CMS offers more in-depth guidance.

https://www.statnews.com/2025/10/17/medicaid-work-requirements-put-deadline-pressure-on-states/

[MichMan]

1. I believe many charitable organizations qualify

I imagine there are many that would welcome volunteers