Judge blocks ‘medically frail’ definition in Medicaid work requirement rule

A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing a rule that would narrow exceptions to new work requirements for Medicaid recipients with serious medical conditions.

U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston sided with 25 states and the District of Columbia, which had argued that the new rule would force medically frail people to clear unnecessary hurdles to maintain government-funded health insurance coverage.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the agency that adopted the rule, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income Americans, is jointly funded by the federal and state governments.

CMS issued the rule in June in order to implement work requirements for Medicaid that were enacted as part of Trump's signature tax and spending measure, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he signed into law last year.

The law requires adults aged 19-64, with a few exceptions, to complete a minimum of 80 hours of work or community engagement activities per month or be enrolled in an education program at least half time to qualify for Medicaid beginning January 1, 2027.

CMS’s rule provided guidance to states on how to implement…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health