The Cruelty of Medicaid Work Requirements

One of the most pernicious elements of Republicans One Big Beautiful Bill Act is the emphasis it puts on work requirements. These requirements are peppered throughout the bills changes to social safety net programs, but most notable are the increased work rules for Medicaid.
The affordable health care program, which provides coverage to 71 million of Americas poorest residents, has operated without a work requirement for 60 years. If you qualified based on income and immigration status, you could enroll in Medicaid. Data shows that, despite the lack of a work requirement, the vast majority of Medicaid recipients were, in fact, working. Only 8 percent of adults under 65 on the program were retired, couldnt find work, or werent working for some other reason. The other 92 percent of Medicaid recipients were working, acting as caregivers, or were ill or attending school.
But now, after the passage of the bill, adults under 65 without dependents under the age of 14 (there are a handful of other exemptions as well) will be required to prove that they work at least 80 hours a month if they want to receive basic health care through Medicaid. The moral implications alone are devastating: The ability to treat your diabetes, receive medication for your mental health disorder, or get a cast on your broken wrist will now be tied to your so-called productivity in the workforce.
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States are required to implement Medicaid work requirements by December 31, 2026, giving them 18 months to build a verification system and iron out the manifold kinks that come with it (they may need an industrial-size iron). All states, however, are allowed to start work requirements sooner through the use of waivers, and some red states are likely to take advantage of that.
https://prospect.org/health/2025-07-21-cruelty-of-medicaid-work-requirements/]