Medicaid Work Requirements: What Changes January 1, 2027

If you're 19 to 64 and get Medicaid through your state's expansion, you may soon need to show 80 hours a month of work, school, job training or volunteering. Here's what starts when, who's exempt, how your state will check, where things stand in each of the 42 jurisdictions where our agent is licensed, and your options if you lose coverage.

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Overview

What Are the Medicaid Work Requirements?

Medicaid work requirements (the law calls them “community engagement”) are a new federal condition for adults in the Medicaid expansion group, and certain waiver groups, to get or keep coverage. They come from section 71119 of Public Law 119-21 (H.R. 1, signed July 4, 2025), which adds section 1902(xx) to the Social Security Act. CMS calls the law the “Working Families Tax Cut” legislation; it was also called the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The national start date is January 1, 2027.

A few states moved first. Nebraska started on May 1, 2026 and Montana on July 1, 2026. Arkansas began a no-penalty soft launch on July 1, 2026, and Iowa starts December 1, 2026 for new applicants. Seven states aren't required to run it at all. Only your state Medicaid agency decides who gets Medicaid, and FreedInsure doesn't enroll anyone in it, but we can explain the rules and compare your other coverage if you're over the limit or lose Medicaid.

FreedInsure LLC is an independent broker; its licensed agent, Constantino Lardi (NPN 20230457), is licensed in 42 jurisdictions. Our help is free to you: (844) 788-3733. This page is general information, not legal advice.

Quick answer (as of October 7, 2026): Medicaid work requirements start January 1, 2027 for adults 19–64 in the expansion group and certain waiver groups in 43 states and DC, unless exempt. To count a month, you need 80 hours of work, volunteering or job training, at least half-time school, or income of at least $580 a month (the 2026 figure).

Constantino Lardi, licensed insurance producer
Published by Constantino Lardi, licensed insurance producer, NPN 20230457 • Licensed in 42 jurisdictions • FreedInsure LLC • (844) 788-3733

Last updated: October 7, 2026

Timeline

Medicaid Work Requirements 2027: What Starts When

The federal deadline is January 1, 2027, but some states started early and the rules phase in through 2028. The statute requires states to begin no later than the first day of the first quarter after December 31, 2026, and lets them start sooner. If you're already enrolled, your state checks you at your first renewal on or after its start date (42 CFR 435.559(c)).

  • July 4, 2025: Public Law 119-21 is signed. Section 71119 creates the requirement.
  • December 8, 2025: CMS issues a CMCS Informational Bulletin on the requirement.
  • March 6, 2026: CMS issues guidance on 6-month renewals for expansion adults (SMD #26-001).
  • May 1, 2026: Nebraska starts, the earliest of the states starting before the federal date.
  • June 1, 2026: CMS issues its interim final rule. It was published June 3 in the Federal Register (91 FR 33348) and took effect July 31, 2026.
  • July 1, 2026: Montana starts. Arkansas begins a soft launch in which, its DHS says, “you will not lose benefits.”
  • October 2026: Montana's FAQ said there would be no denials or disenrollments from July through September; from October, people “may be denied coverage or disenrolled.”
  • December 1, 2026: Iowa starts for people who apply on or after that date.
  • January 1, 2027: National start. Expansion adults move to renewals every 6 months, and expansion adults who apply get no more than one month of retroactive coverage before the month they apply.
  • January 1, 2028: Stricter proof rules. States must require documentation whenever it's reasonably available.
  • December 31, 2028: The latest date any state delay can last.

Can your state delay it?

Only with a federal “good faith” exemption, which must end no later than December 31, 2028. The law says the requirement itself can't be waived, and CMS's rule limits a first exemption to 6 months. As of October 7, 2026, we found no CMS approval of a delay for any state. Alaska's Department of Health says the state has asked for more time, and Healthcare Dive reported on October 2, 2026 that five governors had asked HHS to push back the January 1 deadline. Until a delay is approved, plan on January 1, 2027.

What's still in court

Twenty-five states and DC sued CMS in Massachusetts v. Oz (D. Mass.), mainly over how the rule defines “medically frail.” The judge denied a preliminary injunction on July 29, 2026, and a summary-judgment hearing is set for October 20, 2026. The CMS rule stays in effect while the case goes on, and being a plaintiff doesn't delay the requirement in a state.

Who Must Comply

Who Has to Meet the Medicaid Work Requirements?

Adults ages 19 to 64 in the ACA Medicaid expansion group must meet the requirement unless an exemption applies. It also covers adults 19 to 64 in certain Section 1115 waiver programs that give comparable coverage. It never applies to children, people on Medicare, or pregnant or postpartum people, and it doesn't apply in the U.S. territories.

CMS has named 13 waiver populations in eight states: Georgia (Pathways to Coverage), Hawaii (QUEST Integration), Massachusetts (MassHealth), New York (Medicaid Redesign Team TANF group), Oregon (Oregon Health Plan), Tennessee (TennCare III parent and caretaker relatives expansion), Utah (Adult Expansion and Targeted Adults) and Wisconsin (BadgerCare Reform childless adults). Georgia, Tennessee and Wisconsin haven't expanded Medicaid, so only those waiver groups are affected there.

Six-month renewals come with it

A separate part of the law moves adults in the expansion group to renewals every 6 months, starting with renewals scheduled on or after January 1, 2027. CMS says that applies to people in the expansion group even if they're exempt from the work requirement; the one exception is American Indians and Alaska Natives, whom the law exempts from 6-month renewals. Other Medicaid groups, such as children's coverage, stay on 12-month renewals.

Not sure which group you're in or whether your income qualifies? See our guide to Medicaid income limits: in expansion states, adults generally qualify up to 138% of the federal poverty level.

The 80-Hour Rule

What Counts Toward the Medicaid 80 Hours?

You meet the requirement for a month by doing any one thing in this table, or by combining activities to reach 80 hours. The definitions come from the statute and CMS's rule at 42 CFR 435.552. Your state decides what proof to ask for.

Way to Qualify for a MonthWhat Counts Under the Federal Rule
Work, 80 hoursWork for pay, work in exchange for goods or services (“in-kind” work), and unpaid work other than community service.
Community service, 80 hoursUnpaid work through a structured program run by a public or nonprofit organization that tracks your hours, done for the direct benefit of the community. Court-ordered service can count; work for a partisan purpose doesn't.
Work program, 80 hoursPrograms such as WIOA title I job training, Trade Act programs, state employment and training programs (including SNAP E&T), DOL and VA veterans' programs, and SNAP workforce partnerships. Job search counts only as a smaller part, less than half the hours.
School, at least half-timeCounts on its own, with no hours to log. College, career and technical education, high school and state-approved high school equivalency programs qualify. The school sets your enrollment status, and it carries through breaks.
School, less than half-timeThe hours count toward 80. In credit-hour programs, each credit hour counts as 3 hours a week times 4.33 weeks, or about 13 hours a month.
A mix of activitiesAny combination of work, community service, a work program and less-than-half-time school that adds up to 80 hours in the month.
Income of at least $580Monthly income of at least 80 times the federal minimum wage of $7.25, which is $580 a month in 2026. CMS uses “the individual’s MAGI-based income, for their MAGI-based household.”
Seasonal workA seasonal worker whose average monthly income over the past 6 months is at least $580.

How the Medicaid 80 hours are counted when pay is low

If you earn less than $580 in a month and your state has no record of your hours, CMS lets the state estimate them by dividing your income by the federal minimum wage. CMS's own example: $380 divided by $7.25 credits about 52 hours, so you'd need about 28 more hours from another activity (our arithmetic).

Two cautions. If you're in school at least half-time, the state can't add other hours on top, because half-time school already qualifies. And each month is counted on its own; Oklahoma's Medicaid agency, for example, says hours can't roll over between months. The $580 figure is tied to the federal minimum wage, so treat it as the 2026 amount.

Exemptions

Who Is Exempt From Medicaid Work Requirements?

Federal law exempts a long list of groups, and every state must honor them. Some people are outside the requirement altogether; others are treated as meeting it for the month. Either way, you don't have to show 80 hours, and your state may use records it already has instead of asking you for proof.

Exempt GroupWho Qualifies Under the Current CMS Rule
Parents and caregiversA parent, guardian, caretaker relative or family caregiver of a dependent child 13 or younger, or of a person with a disability. A caregiver who neither lives with nor is related to the person must give at least 80 hours of care a month.
Pregnant or postpartumAnyone who is pregnant or getting postpartum Medicaid coverage.
Medically frail or special medical needsIncludes people who are blind or disabled, or who have a substance use disorder, a disabling mental disorder, a disability that significantly impairs one or more activities of daily living, or a serious or complex medical condition. The condition must significantly impair your ability to meet the requirement, and people in stable recovery for 5 or more years aren't in the substance use category.
Disabled veteransA veteran with a disability rated as total (100 percent) by the VA.
SNAP or TANF work rulesPeople complying with TANF work requirements, or members of a SNAP household who aren't exempt from SNAP's work requirement.
Drug or alcohol treatmentPeople in a drug addiction or alcohol treatment and rehabilitation program. States may set a minimum time commitment.
American Indians and Alaska NativesIndians, Urban Indians, California Indians and others eligible for Indian Health Service care.
Former foster youthFormer foster care youth under 26 in that Medicaid group.
Jail or prisonPeople who are incarcerated, and people released within the past 3 months.
Under 19 or on MedicarePeople under 19, or entitled to or enrolled in Medicare Part A or enrolled in Part B, for part or all of the month.
Another mandatory groupPeople who also qualify under certain other mandatory Medicaid eligibility groups named in the statute.

The medically frail definition is the part being challenged in Massachusetts v. Oz, so it could change. A hospital stay is not one of the mandatory exemptions; it's one of the optional hardship exceptions below.

Short-term hardship exceptions (your state's choice)

States may also excuse a month when, for part or all of it, any of these applies:

  • Inpatient care. You're in a hospital, nursing facility, inpatient psychiatric hospital or similar setting. You must ask for it.
  • Disaster area. You live in a county under a federally declared emergency or disaster. This applies automatically.
  • High unemployment. Your county's unemployment rate is at least 8 percent or 1.5 times the national rate, whichever is lower. The state must ask CMS first; then it's automatic.
  • Medical travel. You or a dependent must travel outside your community for an extended time for care for a serious or complex condition that isn't available locally. You must ask for it.

In a KFF and Georgetown CCF survey from March 2026, 34 states planned to use each of these exceptions, 3 said no (Indiana, Iowa and Missouri) and 6 were undecided; Tennessee wasn't surveyed. State pages can differ: Montana says it won't use the high-unemployment exception for now.

Think you're exempt? Tell your state Medicaid agency, answer every notice and keep your proof. For medical frailty, states may accept your own statement made under penalty of perjury until January 1, 2028; after that, they can accept one only once per enrollment period. Once your frailty status is verified, it must be rechecked at least every 12 months.

Verification

How Will Your State Check, and How Often?

States check at application and at every renewal, and expansion adults renew every 6 months starting in 2027. States may check more often: in KFF's March 2026 survey, Indiana and New Hampshire planned quarterly checks.

When you apply: the look-back

You show you met the requirement for 1 to 3 consecutive months right before the month you apply; your state picks the number. CMS's example: if you apply in January 2027, you'd show December 2026, or October through December 2026 in a state that picks 3 months. In the March 2026 survey, 36 states planned a 1-month look-back at application, 3 planned 3 months and 4 were undecided.

When you renew

You show at least one month that met the requirement between your last eligibility decision and your next renewal. Your state can require more months, and they don't have to be in a row. Some states ask for more: North Carolina and Kentucky want 3 of the 6 months before renewal, Iowa any 2 months in the review period, and Montana at least 3 months.

Data first, then paperwork

Your state must check reliable data it already has, such as payroll records, before asking you for documents. Through 2027, states may require documents or accept other information. Starting January 1, 2028, they must require documentation whenever it's reasonably available.

If the state can't verify you

You get a notice of noncompliance and 30 calendar days from when it's received (CMS treats it as received 5 days after the date on the notice) to show you met the requirement or qualify for an exemption. If you're enrolled, your coverage continues during those 30 days. If you don't make that showing, the state denies the application or ends coverage no later than the end of the month after the 30 days run out. First it must check whether you qualify for Medicaid or another affordability program some other way, and send written notice with your fair-hearing rights. Missouri, for example, says you have 35 calendar days to respond to its notice.

Protect your coverage: keep your address, phone and email current with your state Medicaid agency; open every letter; keep pay stubs, school enrollment records or volunteer-hour logs; and tell the state if you think you're exempt. States must tell enrollees about the requirement, before it starts and periodically after, by regular mail (or electronically if you chose that) plus at least one other way, such as a phone call, text or website.

By State

Medicaid Work Requirements by State: The 42 Jurisdictions We Serve

The requirement applies in 35 of the 42 jurisdictions where FreedInsure's agent, Constantino Lardi, is licensed, including DC. Nationally, KFF counts 44 jurisdictions (43 states and DC) that must run it. The only seven that don't are Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming; they haven't expanded Medicaid and have no affected waiver group. Our agent isn't licensed in Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont or Washington, which are also subject.

Sources and dates: “Subject?” comes from KFF's Medicaid work requirements tracker, updated September 29, 2026, which uses CMS information released June 8, 2026. Status notes come from the state source named in each row, read September 30 to October 7, 2026. Where no source is named, the federal January 1, 2027 date applies.

StateSubject?Start and Status (Source)
AlabamaNoNot required: no expansion group and no affected waiver group (KFF)
AlaskaYes (expansion)Federal date is January 1, 2027, but Alaska's Department of Health says it has asked for more time; no approval found as of October 7, 2026
ArizonaYes (expansion)Starts January 2027 (AHCCCS)
ArkansasYes (expansion)No-penalty soft launch since July 1, 2026; fully starts January 1, 2027 (DHS)
CaliforniaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 for Medi-Cal expansion adults (enacted 2026–27 state budget)
DelawareYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 (DMMA)
District of ColumbiaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 (DHCF)
FloridaNoNot required (KFF)
GeorgiaYes (waiver group only)Pathways to Coverage rules change January 1, 2027; current members aren't affected until their 2027 renewal (Georgia Pathways)
HawaiiYes (expansion and waiver)January 1, 2027; for current members, not until their 2027 renewal (Med-QUEST)
IllinoisYes (expansion)Applies to new applicants who apply after 5:00 p.m. on December 31, 2026 (HFS)
IndianaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 for HIP applicants and redeterminations (FSSA); quarterly checks planned (KFF survey)
IowaYes (expansion)December 1, 2026 for new applicants; members with renewal dates in February 2027 or later (Iowa HHS)
KansasNoNot required (KFF)
KentuckyYes (expansion)January 1, 2027; members show 3 of the 6 months before renewal (KHBE)
LouisianaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 for new applicants and members up for renewal (LDH)
MaineYes (expansion)Federal date, January 1, 2027
MarylandYes (expansion)Federal date, January 1, 2027
MichiganYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 for applicants; members with renewals on or after March 1, 2027 (MDHHS)
MississippiNoNot required (KFF)
MissouriYes (expansion)January 1, 2027; 35 days to respond to a notice (DSS)
MontanaYes (expansion)In effect since July 1, 2026; denials and disenrollment possible from October 2026 (DPHHS)
NebraskaYes (expansion)In effect since May 1, 2026 (DHHS)
NevadaYes (expansion)Federal date, January 1, 2027
New HampshireYes (expansion)January 1, 2027, so applicants show December 2026 (DHHS); quarterly checks required by state law (KFF)
New JerseyYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 for NJ FamilyCare Plan ABP adults (DMAHS)
New YorkYes (expansion and waiver)January 1, 2027 (NY State of Health)
North CarolinaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027; 3 months in a row before you apply, 3 of 6 months at renewal (NC Medicaid)
North DakotaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 (ND HHS)
OhioYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 (ODM)
OklahomaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 (OHCA)
OregonYes (expansion and waiver)Starting in 2027, at application or renewal (OHA)
PennsylvaniaYes (expansion)Federal date, January 1, 2027
South CarolinaNoNot required (KFF)
South DakotaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027 (DSS)
TennesseeYes (waiver group only)Federal date, January 1, 2027; CMS lists the TennCare III parent and caretaker relatives expansion group
TexasNoNot required (KFF)
UtahYes (expansion and waiver)January 1, 2027 for Adult Expansion and Targeted Adult Medicaid (DHHS)
VirginiaYes (expansion)Federal date, January 1, 2027
West VirginiaYes (expansion)January 1, 2027; current members starting with renewals due in March 2027 (DoHS)
WisconsinYes (waiver group only)January 1, 2027 for new applicants in the affected BadgerCare Plus adult group; most current members at their renewal from March 2027 (DHS)
WyomingNoNot required (KFF)

In the seven “No” states, the federal Medicaid work requirement doesn't apply because the state didn't expand Medicaid and has no affected waiver group. Adults there often face a different problem, the coverage gap; our free and low-cost health insurance guide and state pages cover the options.

FreedInsure doesn't sell ACA Marketplace plans in DC, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania or Virginia; DC residents use DC Health Link. In Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia we can help with private plans sold outside the Marketplace, short-term plans where state law allows and plans are sold (none are currently sold in Maine), and supplemental and life insurance. In DC, we can help with life and supplemental coverage.

If You Lose Medicaid

Lost Medicaid Over the Work Requirement? Your Options

You can reapply at any time once you meet the requirement or qualify for an exemption. The CMS rule bars states from restricting your ability to reapply (42 CFR 435.558(e)), and the notice of noncompliance must explain how to reapply. Our guide to applying for Medicaid walks through each step.

Why a Marketplace subsidy isn't the fallback

If you're denied or disenrolled only because you didn't meet the work requirement, you can't get Marketplace premium tax credits for those months. The law treats you as eligible for Medicaid, which counts as minimum essential coverage, for any month you would have qualified except for this rule. CMS says such a person “is precluded from eligibility for APTC and PTC.” Wisconsin's Department of Health Services says people who lose Medicaid this way can use the federal Marketplace but “will not qualify for Advance Premium Tax Credits,” and Get Covered Illinois says they “will not be eligible for tax credits.”

The bar applies to subsidies, not to buying coverage, and only to months you'd otherwise qualify for Medicaid. So for those months, you can't use a premium tax credit to lower the cost of any option below.

✅ Get Back on Medicaid

Usually the most affordable route. Meet the 80 hours or the income test for the look-back period, or show an exemption, and reapply. Children are never subject to the requirement and may still qualify for Medicaid or CHIP.

🏢 Coverage Through a Job

If you or a family member has a job with a health plan you're eligible for but didn't join, federal law generally lets you ask to join within 60 days after Medicaid coverage ends because you lost eligibility (29 U.S.C. 1181(f)(3)). Ask HR right away; the plan's rules decide who's eligible, and you'll pay your share of the premium.

📅 A Full-Price Marketplace Plan

You can buy a Marketplace plan without a tax credit during Open Enrollment, November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov (state exchanges can set different dates). Don't assume losing Medicaid this way opens a mid-year enrollment window; ask the Marketplace before you count on one.

📋 Private Plans Outside the Marketplace

An option where you're eligible, but at full price. Each plan has its own eligibility rules and may be subject to underwriting. Ask us to confirm in writing how a plan handles pre-existing conditions. Marketplace plans must cover them.

⏳ Short-Term Plans, Where Allowed

Temporary coverage that usually excludes pre-existing conditions, can turn you down based on your health and isn't ACA-compliant. How long you can keep one depends on your state and the plan, and some states, including Illinois, don't allow them.

🏥 Community Health Centers

Not insurance, but a place to get care. HealthCare.gov points people without other options to community health centers, which offer sliding-scale care based on income.

About private plans sold outside the Marketplace: These plans are not sold through the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace (HealthCare.gov or your state's exchange) and are not individual-market ACA plans. You can't use a premium tax credit or cost-sharing reduction to pay for them. As HealthCare.gov puts it, “the only way to get the premium tax credit is through the Marketplace.” See how private health insurance works and short-term health insurance for details.

Important: Plans sold outside the ACA Marketplace may be subject to underwriting, age limits, state availability and each plan's own eligibility rules. Not all plans are available in all states. Rates are not guaranteed and can change. Benefits, limits and exclusions are set by the official plan document or policy, which controls if it differs from this page. This page is a general summary, not a contract or an offer of coverage.

Straight talk: A plan sold outside the Marketplace can cost less than a full-price ACA plan if you're healthy, earn too much for a tax credit, or want a specific network. But if you qualify for a tax credit or Medicaid, have a pre-existing condition, are pregnant or planning to be, or take expensive medications, an ACA plan is usually the safer buy, and the only way to get the premium tax credit is through the Marketplace. If you lost Medicaid over the work requirement, getting back on Medicaid, by meeting the requirement or showing an exemption, is usually the most affordable path, because no tax credit applies to the months the subsidy bar covers. If your income has risen above your state's Medicaid limit, the bar doesn't apply to those months and you may qualify for a Marketplace tax credit instead. Where we sell Marketplace plans, we'll price both side by side before you decide; in DC, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia we don't, so we'll point you to your state's exchange. Call (844) 788-3733.

Sources

Expert Advice

How FreedInsure Helps

FreedInsure LLC is an independent insurance broker; its licensed agent, Constantino Lardi (NPN 20230457), is licensed in 42 jurisdictions. We don't decide Medicaid eligibility or enroll anyone in Medicaid; only your state Medicaid agency does that. What we do: point you to your state's application and show you your other options. Where we sell Marketplace plans, that includes any Marketplace tax credit you qualify for, next to any private plan; in DC, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia, we don't sell Marketplace plans and will point you to your state's exchange. Our help is free to you.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

When do Medicaid work requirements start?
The national start date is January 1, 2027. Nebraska started on May 1, 2026 and Montana on July 1, 2026. Arkansas began a no-penalty soft launch on July 1, 2026, and Iowa starts December 1, 2026 for new applicants. A state can delay only with a federal good-faith exemption that must end by December 31, 2028, and as of October 7, 2026 we found no approved delay for any state.
Who is exempt from Medicaid work requirements?
Federal law exempts many groups. They include parents and caregivers of a child 13 or younger or of a person with a disability, pregnant and postpartum people, people who are medically frail or disabled, veterans with a total disability rating, American Indians and Alaska Natives, former foster youth under 26, people in drug or alcohol treatment, people meeting SNAP or TANF work rules, and people in jail or released within the past 3 months. People under 19 or on Medicare aren't subject.
Who has to meet the Medicaid work requirements?
Adults ages 19 to 64 in the ACA Medicaid expansion group, unless they're exempt. It also covers adults 19 to 64 in certain Section 1115 waiver programs; CMS has named 13 such groups in eight states, including Georgia Pathways and a BadgerCare group in Wisconsin. It never applies to children, people on Medicare, or pregnant or postpartum people.
What counts toward the Medicaid 80 hours?
Work, community service, a work program, or any mix that totals 80 hours in the month. Paid, in-kind and unpaid work count. You also qualify for the month by attending school at least half-time, or with income of at least 80 times the federal minimum wage, which is $580 a month in 2026. Seasonal workers can use their average income over the past 6 months.
Which states don't have Medicaid work requirements?
Seven states aren't required to run them: Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming. They haven't expanded Medicaid and have no affected waiver group, according to KFF's tracker updated September 29, 2026. The other 43 states and DC must start by January 1, 2027. Georgia, Tennessee and Wisconsin haven't expanded Medicaid either, but each has a waiver group that is subject.
How often will I have to prove I meet the work requirement?
At application and at every renewal, and expansion adults renew every 6 months starting in 2027. When you apply, you show 1 to 3 months right before the month you apply, depending on your state. At renewal, you show at least one month since your last eligibility decision, though some states ask for more. Your state must check data it already has before asking you for documents, and it may check more often.
What happens if I don't meet the Medicaid work requirement?
You get a notice and 30 days to show you met it or qualify for an exemption. If you're enrolled, coverage continues during those 30 days. If you don't respond, the state denies your application or ends your coverage, after checking whether you qualify another way and giving you the right to a fair hearing. You can reapply at any time, and the state can't restrict your ability to reapply.
Can I get a Marketplace subsidy if I lose Medicaid over the work requirement?
No, not for the months you would have qualified for Medicaid except for this rule. Federal law treats you as eligible for Medicaid in those months, which blocks premium tax credits. You can still get coverage without the tax credit, such as a full-price Marketplace plan during Open Enrollment (November 1, 2026 to January 15, 2027 on HealthCare.gov), a job-based plan if you're eligible, or a plan sold outside the Marketplace where you're eligible. Getting back on Medicaid is usually the more affordable route.
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A licensed advisor can walk you through your options if you're over your state's Medicaid limit or lose Medicaid, including any Marketplace tax credit you qualify for in states where we sell Marketplace plans. Free, no obligation. Hablamos español.

Important: Plans sold outside the ACA Marketplace may be subject to underwriting, age limits, state availability and each plan's own eligibility rules. Not all plans are available in all states. Rates are not guaranteed and can change. Benefits, limits and exclusions are set by the official plan document or policy, which controls if it differs from this page. This page is a general summary, not a contract or an offer of coverage.

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