New rules that tighten Medicaid eligibility in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act create a daunting but pressing task for state leaders to help maintain health insurance coverage for thousands of residents, researchers say.
Tens of thousands of legal immigrants will be barred from state Medicaid programs under the new federal law, and there’s little the state can do for these residents aside from creating a new state-funded program. But there are paths the state could take to safeguard Medicaid insurance coverage when it comes to the work requirements included in the federal law, according to a report that Boston Indicators and the Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University released Wednesday.
The new rules require able-bodied residents aged 19-64 enrolled in Medicaid expansion programs to work or volunteer 80 hours each month. There are exemptions for pregnant women, the “medically frail,” parents of young children and residents already meeting work requirements required for SNAP benefits, among others…