US judge blocks Medicaid rule requiring chronically ill people to prove impairment
A federal judge in Boston has blocked a stricter definition of "medically frail" people exempt from work requirements. The suit was brought by 25 states and the capital.
Symbolic image · Photo: ajay_suresh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Federal Judge Richard Stearns of the US District Court in Massachusetts has blocked a rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It required chronically ill Medicaid enrollees to prove not only that they are "medically frail" but also that their condition "significantly impairs" their ability to meet work requirements before being exempted. That goes beyond the text of the law. The suit was filed in June by 25 states and the District of Columbia.
In his 16-page ruling, Stearns wrote that the states "face the burden of costly and intensive alterations to their eligibility verification systems". He upheld two other federal restrictions, however, and did not strike down the work requirements themselves. From 1 January 2027, Medicaid expansion enrollees aged 19 to 64 must work or do community service for at least 80 hours a month, or attend school. CMS declined to comment.