08/13/2026
Medicaid Recipients: If you or someone in your household is on Medicaid, there's a change worth understanding now — not the week the letter shows up.
Under new federal rules, most adults ages 19–64 covered through Medicaid expansion will need to document 80 hours a month of work, school, job training, or volunteer service to keep their coverage. States are implementing this on a rolling basis, with a federal deadline of January 1, 2027 and extensions available to states that need more time.
There are exemptions — pregnant and postpartum women, certain caregivers, veterans with a total disability rating, tribal members, people who are medically frail, and anyone already meeting SNAP or TANF work rules.
Here's the part that concerns me most. CMS's own projections assume a meaningful share of people who lose coverage will lose it over paperwork, not over hours worked. A notice sent to an old address. A verification that never got confirmed. People who are fully compliant, dropped anyway.
Two things you can do this month:
1. Confirm your state Medicaid office has your current mailing address, phone, and email.
2. If a notice arrives, open it the same day. There are deadlines attached, and they're short.
If you do lose Medicaid coverage, you are not stuck. Losing it triggers a special enrollment period on the Marketplace, and depending on your household size and income, financial help may be available to bring the premium down.
I'm happy to look at your specific situation and tell you honestly where you'd land. No cost for the conversation, and no obligations.
Sheridan Peil | Life · Health · Wealth
