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Medicaid work requirements in the states

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See also: Medicaid work requirements

What are Medicaid work requirements?
Medicaid work requirements are policies that condition eligibility for Medicaid benefits on participation in work or related activities for certain adult enrollees. These activities may include employment, job training, education, or community service. In 2025, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which created the first federally mandated Medicaid work requirements. The law requires states to implement a monthly 80-hour community engagement requirement for adults in the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion group by January 1, 2027, though states may apply for a good-faith delay until December 31, 2028. As of 2025, Georgia was the only state with an active state-level Medicaid work requirement.[1]

Why does it matter?
Medicaid provides health coverage to more than 70 million low-income individuals and families. The enactment of a federal work requirement marks a major shift in how eligibility is determined—replacing a state-by-state waiver process with a national mandate. It highlights ongoing tensions between state autonomy and federal oversight of public assistance—raising questions about how much flexibility states should have in administering federally funded benefit programs. The policy has become a flashpoint between presidential administrations, with the first Trump administration encouraging state adoption and the Biden administration reversing course before Congress established a nationwide standard in 2025.

What is the background?
Before the enactment of the OBBBA in 2025, there were no federally mandated work requirements for Medicaid. States could only implement such policies by applying for a Section 1115 waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).[2] During the first Trump administration, 13 states received approval to implement work requirements, but most efforts were blocked by legal challenges. Courts in several states ruled that CMS had not adequately considered the risk of coverage loss, and the Biden administration later withdrew all 13 waivers. Georgia was the only state to successfully defend its waiver in court, and it implemented work requirements in 2023.[3]

What are states doing?
Under the OBBBA, all states must implement work requirements by January 1, 2027, but may apply for early implementation or request a delay through 2029. As of October 7, 2025, seven states, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Montana, had submitted waiver requests to CMS to implement Medicaid work requirements. Georgia remained the only state with an active Medicaid work requirement as of that date.[4]

What are the arguments?
Proponents of Medicaid work requirements argue that they improve recipient health, ensure benefits are reserved for the truly needy, and help reduce poverty by encouraging employment.

Opponents of Medicaid work requirements argue that they worsen health and employment outcomes, cause people to lose coverage due to administrative burdens, and make it harder for those truly in need to access care.

This page features information about Medicaid work requirements in the states. Georgia was the only state with an effective Medicaid work requirement as of October 2025.

Background

See also: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Medicaid, established by the Social Security Act of 1965, is a nationwide program that provides health coverage for qualifying individuals. The program is jointly funded by the federal government and the states. The states manage Medicaid eligibility, benefits, and administration within federal guidelines.

Medicaid work requirements are mandated work-related activities that Medicaid recipients must complete to qualify for benefits, such as working, pursuing education, participating in a work program, or volunteer activities. As of 2025, Georgia was the only state with active Medicaid work requirements. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law on July 4, 2025, requires states to implement a work requirement of at least 80 hours per month by January 1, 2027.[1]

Section 1115 waivers

Section 1115 of the Social Security Act gives the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) authority to approve any "experimental, pilot, or demonstration project which, in the judgment of the Secretary, is likely to assist in promoting the objectives of public assistance programs in a State or States." The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) performs a case-by-case review of Section 1115 applications to determine whether the stated goals are aligned with Medicaid objectives. State applications for Section 1115 waivers must be budget neutral to the federal government, meaning that a state’s experimental project cannot increase federal Medicaid expenditures.[5]

Section 1115 waivers give states flexibility to design and improve programs by implementing state-specific policies to serve Medicaid recipients at the state level. Before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act) mandated Medicaid work requirements for all states, Section 1115 waivers were the only way states could implement these requirements. The OBBB Act allows states to apply for Section 1115 waivers to implement work requirements for Medicaid ahead of the January 2027 deadline, but does not allow states to use these waivers to waive the work requirements.[5][1]

CMS approved Medicaid work requirement waivers under Section 1115 in 13 of the 22 states that applied during the first Trump administration. Of these waivers, only Arkansas fully implemented its program before the Biden administration directed the agency to withdraw all approved waivers.[6] Georgia implemented Medicaid work requirements on July 1, 2023, through the Georgia Pathways program. Click here to learn more.

State Medicaid work requirement policies

Before the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB Act) was enacted on July 4, 2025, states could only implement Medicaid work requirements by obtaining a Section 1115 waiver. As of 2025, Georgia was the only state with active work requirements or an approved Section 1115 waiver.

The OBBB Act requires states to implement Medicaid work requirements by January 2027. The act allows states to apply for Section 1115 waivers in order to implement work requirements prior to this deadline, but does not allow states to use this type of waiver to waive the work requirements.[7]

The following table features past and current information about state activity related to Medicaid work requirements, including links to Section 1115 waivers.

State Medicaid work requirements
State Work requirement Section 1115 waivers Status
Alabama No work requirement
Alaska No work requirement
Arizona No work requirement Arizona Section 1115 Waiver Amendment Request AHCCCS Works (2025)

Arizona Section 1115 Waiver Amendment Request (2018)

Submitted (2025),

Withdrawn (2019)

Arkansas No work requirement Pathway to Prosperity Section 1115 Waiver Request (2025)

Arkansas Works Eligibility and Enrollment Monitoring Plan (2018)

Submitted (2025),

Withdrawn (2019)

California No work requirement
Colorado No work requirement
Connecticut No work requirement
Delaware No work requirement
Florida No work requirement
Georgia 80 hours per month Georgia Pathways to Coverage Renewed (2025),
Approved 2022
Hawaii No work requirement
Idaho No work requirement
Illinois No work requirement
Indiana No work requirement Health Indian Plan Seciotn 115 Demonstration Waiver Amendment to Extentions Withdrawn (2019)
Iowa No work requirement Iowa Health and Wellness Plan (2025) Submitted (2025)
Kansas No work requirement
Kentucky No work requirement Kentucky Health (Helping to Engage and Achieve Long Term Health Withdrawn (2019)
Louisiana No work requirement
Maine No work requirement MaineCare 1115 Demonstration Project Application Withdrawn (2019)
Maryland No work requirement
Massachusetts No work requirement
Michigan No work requirement Healthy Michigan Plan: Medicaid Section 1115 Eligibility and Coverage Demonstration Monitoring Report Withdrawn (2020)
Minnesota No work requirement
Mississippi No work requirement
Missouri No work requirement
Montana No work requirement Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership (HELP) Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver Application - Public notice version Submitted (2025)
Nebraska No work requirement Nebraska Medicaid Section 1115 Heritage Health Adult Expansion Demonstration Terminated (2021)
Nevada No work requirement
New Hampshire No work requirement New Hampshire Health Protection Program (NHHPP) demonstration waiver Withdrawn (2019)
New Jersey No work requirement
New Mexico No work requirement
New York No work requirement
North Carolina No work requirement
North Dakota No work requirement
Ohio No work requirement Group VIII 1115 Demonstration Waiver (2025)

Ohio Group VIII Work Requirement and Community Engagement Section 1115 Demonstration (2018)

Submitted (2025),

Withdrawn (2021)

Oklahoma No work requirement
Oregon No work requirement
Pennsylvania No work requirement
Rhode Island No work requirement
South Carolina No work requirement Palmetto Pathways to Independence Demonstration Waiver (2025)

South Carolina Palmetto Pathways to Independence (2019)

Submitted (2025)

Withdrawn (2021)

South Dakota No work requirement South Dakota Career Link 1115 Waiver Application Withdrawn (2025)
Tennessee No work requirement
Texas No work requirement
Utah No work requirement State of Utah Section 1115 Demonstration Amendment Community Engagement (2025)

Utah Medicaid Reform 1115 Demonstration; formerly “Utah Primary Care Network”(2019)

Submitted (2025)

Withdrawn (2021)

Vermont No work requirement
Virginia No work requirement
Washington No work requirement
West Virginia No work requirement
Wisconsin No work requirement BadgerCare Reform Demonstration Project 1115 Waiver Extension Application Withdrawn (2021)
Wyoming No work requirement

State section 1115 governing Medicaid work requirements

This section below features selected text from effective Section 1115 waivers governing state work requirement policies for Medicaid.

Georgia

Georgia "Pathways to Coverage" section 1115 demonstration waiver application

In order to be eligible for coverage under Georgia Pathways, an individual must meet an hours and activities threshold of 80 hours per month of engagement in a qualifying activity (or combination of activities) such as employment, community service, or education, and have an income up to 100% of FPL.[8]

Noteworthy events

Noteworthy events at the federal level

This section provides an overview of noteworthy events related to Medicaid work requirements at the federal level.

Federal noteworthy events

Medicaid work requirement provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (2025): The 2025 budget reconciliation bill that was signed into law on July 4 requires states to adopt community engagement requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents in the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion group by January 1, 2027. These community engagement requirements can be met by doing any of the following for 80 hours a month:

  • working,
  • doing community service,
  • participating in a work program, or
  • doing a combination of these activities.

An individual could also meet the requirements by enrolling at least part-time in an educational program or by making a monthly income of at least 80 times the federal hourly minimum wage. Failure to comply with the community engagement requirement would result in the denial of an application for Medicaid or disenrollment from the program.[9]

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Mehmet Oz, Brooke Rollins, and Scott Turner on work requirements for public assistance programs (2025): Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner cowrote a New York Times opinion piece, that was published on May 14, 2025. The secretaries and administrator expressed their opinions on work requirements for public assistance and support for a 20 hour/week work requirement across programs.[10]

They wrote:

Establishing universal work requirements for able-bodied adults across the welfare programs we manage will prioritize the vulnerable, empower able-bodied individuals, help rebuild thriving communities and protect the taxpayers.[8]

Our agencies are united in a very straightforward policy approach: Able-bodied adults receiving benefits must work, participate in job training or volunteer in their communities at least 20 hours a week. Limited exceptions will be made for good cause, like caring for young children and health issues, but the principle is clear — those who can work, should.[8]

Medicaid work requirements proposal included in debt ceiling bill (2023):The U.S. House of Representatives on April 26, 2023, voted 219-210 to pass H.R. 2811, the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, which aims to raise the federal government’s debt ceiling and includes provisions related to work requirements for certain able-bodied adults receiving Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) assistance.

The proposal would require applicable Medicaid and SNAP recipients to complete 80 hours a month of community engagement or work-related activity. Applicable individuals under the proposal generally include adults between the ages of 19 and 55 who are physically able to work, not pregnant, and not serving as a caregiver to a dependent or incapacitated person. The proposal also includes provisions aimed at reducing TANF caseloads by modifying certain reporting and performance measures for the program’s existing work requirements.

In his April 19 remarks on the House floor, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) argued, "Our plan ensures adults without dependents earn a paycheck and learn new skills. By restoring these commonsense measures, we can help more Americans earn a paycheck, learn new skills, reduce childhood poverty and rebuild the workforce."

Democrats, including House Agriculture Committee ranking member David Scott (D-Ga.), have argued against the work requirements. Scott stated in a press release, “Holding food assistance hostage for those who depend on it—including 15.3 million of our children, 5.8 million of our seniors and 1.2 million of our veterans—in exchange for increasing the debt limit is a nonstarter.” President Joe Biden (D) stated that he would veto the legislation if reached his desk.

President Joe Biden (D) signed the final version of the debt ceiling legislation—the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023—on June 3, 2023. The bill included modified SNAP and TANF work requirements but did not include Medicaid work requirements.[11]


Noteworthy events at the state level

This section provides an overview of noteworthy events related to Medicaid work requirements at the state level.

State noteworthy events


Work requirements implementation waivers (2025)

This section provides details on currently pending section 1115 waivers, which, if approved, will be used to implement the Medicaid work requirements established by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (2025) ahead of schedule.

Section 1115 waivers

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) submits section 1115 waiver to CMS (2025): On September 3, Montana's DPHHS submitted the state's section 1115 waiver application. The draft of the waiver was made publicly available on July 18. The section 1115 waiver requests permission to implement community engagement and cost-sharing requirements that are required under state and federal law. The community engagement requirement would condition Medicaid benefits on full or part-time work.[27]


Iowa Health and Human Services submits section 1115 waiver amendment request for work requirements (2025): On June 6, Iowa submitted their section 1115 waiver request to implement work requirements to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).[28] If approved, the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan would require able-bodied adults to work 100 hours per month or prove that they earn 100 times the state hourly minimum wage every month. Iowa Senate File 615, which would institute the work requirement upon CMS approval, was signed into law on June 6.[29]


South Carolina Health and Human Services to submit section 1115 waiver amendment request for work requirements (2025): On April 30, South Carolina Health and Human Services gave public notice of intent to apply to CMS for a section 1115 demonstration waiver to implement work requirements for Medicaid. The community engagement requirement would make it necessary for individuals to be employed 80 hours per month, to be meeting unemployment insurance job search requirements, to be pursuing education, or to be in substance abuse treatment in order to maintain eligibility.[30]

Utah to submit section 1115 waiver amendment request for work requirements (2025): The public comment period for Utah's proposed section 1115 waiver amendment request opened on April 22 and was scheduled to end on May 22, 2025.[31] The amendment proposal would institute a community engagement requirement to maintain eligibility for Medicaid for individuals who aren't granted an exemption. Reasons an individual would be exempt from the requirement include being over the age of 60, being pregnant or 12 months or less postpartum, complying with SNAP work requirements, working 30 hours or more per week, and others.[32]

Arizona applies to CMS for amendment to section 1115 waiver to implement work requirements for Medicaid (2025): On March 28, Arizona submitted a waiver amendment request to implement work requirements for expansion adults aged 19-55.[33] These individuals would be required to work 20 hours a week to maintain eligibility. There would be a 6-month grace period for individuals to seek exemptions or demonstrate compliance.[34]


Ohio applies to CMS for waiver to implement work requirements for Medicaid (2025): On March 7, the state submitted its waiver request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.[35] The proposal conditions Medicaid expansion on work requirements. If the waiver is approved, Medicaid recipients in the state will be required to meet at least one of the following criteria:[36]

  • be employed,
  • be over age 55,
  • be enrolled in school or a job training program,
  • be participating in alcohol/drug addiction treatment program, or
  • have intensive physical health care needs or serious mental illness.


Arkansas Governor applies to CMS for waiver to implement work requirements for Medicaid (2025): On January 28, 2025, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) submitted a request to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a section 1115 waiver in order to implement a program that requires able-bodied Medicaid recipients aged 19-64 to work in order to receive benefits. The proposed amendment does not set a minimum number of hours that individuals must work per month in order to receive benefits and instead focuses on personal development plans to increase individuals’ wages and hours worked.[37]


See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Congress.gov, "H.R.1 - 119th congress (2025 - 2026)," July 4, 2025 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "obbba" defined multiple times with different content
  2. Social Security, Demonstration Projects, accessed May 15, 2023
  3. Kaiser Family Foundation, An Overview of Medicaid Work Requirements, accessed May 8, 2023
  4. KFF, "Medicaid Waiver Tracker: Approved and Pending Section 1115 Waivers by State," updated August 12, 2025
  5. 5.0 5.1 Medicaid, Section 1115 Demonstrations, May 5, 2023
  6. Kaiser Family Foundation, An Overview of Medicaid Work Requirements, accessed May 8, 2023
  7. Congress.gov, "H.R.1 - 119th Congress (2025 - 2026)," July 4, 2025
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  9. Congress.gov, "H.R.1 - 119th Congress (2025 - 2026)," accessed July 10, 2025
  10. New York Times, "Trump Leadership: If You Want Welfare and Can Work, You Must," May 14, 2025
  11. CNN, "Here’s who would have to work for government benefits – and who wouldn’t – under the debt ceiling package," June 2, 2023
  12. ABC News, "Trump extends Georgia health insurance program with work requirements, despite red tape findings," accessed October 8, 2025
  13. dss.sd.gov, "SDCareerLink A South Dakota 1115 Demonstration Proposal," accessed June 11, 2025
  14. South Dakota Searchlight, "Passage of federal Medicaid work requirements leads SD to withdraw its own proposal," accessed August 6, 2025
  15. Iowa Legislature, "SF615_GovLetter.pdf," accessed June 11, 2025
  16. KFF, "Section 1115 waiver tracker - work requirements," accessed June 25
  17. Indiana General Assembly, "Senate Bill 2 - Medicaid matters." accessed May 7, 2025
  18. KFF, "Medicaid Waiver Tracker: Approved and Pending Section 1115 Waivers by State," accessed May 7, 2025
  19. 19.0 19.1 Kentucky Legislature, "25RS HB 695," March 27, 2025
  20. Kentucky Legislature, "vote history.pdf," March 27, 2025
  21. Kentucky Legislature, "House of Representatives," April 2, 2025
  22. Kentucky Legislature, "Senate," April 2, 2025
  23. Legiscan, "ID H0345 | 2025 | Regular Session," March 19, 2025
  24. CNN, "Georgia is now the only state with work requirements in Medicaid," August 9, 2023
  25. Cleveland.com, "Ohio to seek work requirement (again) for Medicaid enrollees," July 6, 2023
  26. North Carolina Legislature, "House Bill 76," December 5, 2024
  27. Montana DPHHS, "DPHHS Seeks Public Comment on Proposed Community Engagement, Cost Sharing," accessed July 9, 2025
  28. Medicaid.gov, "Iowa Health and Wellness Plan Section 1115 Demonstration Amendment," accessed June 25, 2025
  29. Iowa Legislature, "Bill History for Senate File 615 - Status: Passed House," accessed April 27, 2025
  30. SCDHHS, "Public Notice for South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Palmetto Pathways to Independence Demonstration Waiver," accessed May 7, 2025
  31. Utah Medicaid, "Public hearings," accessed May 7, 2025
  32. Utah DHHS, "State of Utah Section 1115 Demonstration Amendment Community Engagement," accessed May 7, 2025
  33. Medicaid.gov, "RE: AHCCCS Works Amendment Request," accessed April 23, 2025
  34. KFF, "Section 1115 waiver tracker work requirements," accessed April 23, 2025
  35. Medicaid.gov, "Ohio Group VIII 1115 Demonstration," accessed April 23, 2025
  36. KFF, "Section 1115 waiver tracker work requirements," accessed April 23, 2025
  37. Governor of Arkansas, "Pathway to Prosperity Waiver," February 3, 2025