U.S. News
JUDGE BLOCKS MEDICAID RULE THAT FORCED SICK PATIENTS TO PROVE THEY CAN'T WORK
A federal judge has blocked a Trump administration rule that required Medicaid recipients in medical-frailty categories to prove their condition keeps them from meeting new work requirements.
U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns blocked a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule that required Medicaid beneficiaries in medical-frailty categories to prove their condition impairs their ability to meet new work requirements.
The ruling came in a case brought by 25 states and Washington, D.C., which argued the rule unlawfully narrowed the medical-frailty exemption Congress established.
Under the broader requirements, certain Medicaid beneficiaries aged 19 to 64 must engage in qualifying activities — employment, community service or work programs — for 80 hours per month, make at least $580 monthly, or be enrolled at least half-time in education, starting January 1.
The ruling does not overturn the broader Medicaid work requirements enacted under H.R.1, but it preserves the wider medical-frailty exemption for now.
The decision lands days before the midterm elections, in which health care costs and Medicaid rules have been a central issue.
Reporting: Healio
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