16 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:13 UTC · updated Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:56 UTC
U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston issued a ruling that blocks the Trump administration’s narrow definition of “medically frail” for Medicaid work‑requirement exemptions, granting a partial victory to a coalition of 25 states and the District of Columbia. The decision holds that the new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services guidance exceeds the text of the 2025 law and would cause irreparable harm to eligible recipients.
The 2025 law requires poor adults without disabilities to work, volunteer or attend school at least 80 hours a month to keep Medicaid coverage, with exemptions for those who are blind, disabled, have substance‑use or disabling mental disorders, or have serious or complex medical conditions. The judge’s order does not strike down the work requirements themselves but requires states to use the broader statutory definition of medically frail when determining exemptions, affecting expansion enrollees aged 19 to 64 starting Jan. 1.
Content auto-generated. May contain inaccuracies.