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About the Medical Frailty Exemption to Medicaid Work Requirements

States’ Differing Plans for Implementing Medicaid Work Requirements

Mapping the High Unemployment Hardship Exception to Medicaid Work Requirements

An image of text is an excerpt from Jennifer Tolbert's quick take which reads, "While a temporary period of allowing people to self-attest to their compliance with work requirements will ease the effects for some, the more restrictive definition of medical frailty adopted by the Trump Administration will be challenging for states to implement and could lead to more people falling through the cracks and losing coverage."

CMS Requires More Restrictive Definition of Medical Frailty in New Medicaid Work Requirements Rule

On June 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued an interim final rule on Medicaid work requirements that adopts a restrictive definition of medical frailty — differing from states’ early expectations. KFF’s Jennifer Tolbert explains why the more restrictive definition of medical frailty adopted by the Trump Administration will be challenging for states to implement and could lead to more people falling through the cracks and losing coverage.

State Policy Decisions on Work Requirements Implementation

KFF’s interactive Medicaid work requirements tracker includes new county-level unemployment data by state, showing which counties meet the high unemployment thresholds and how many expansion enrollees in those counties may be exempt from work requirements.

affordable care act

What We Know So Far About 2026 ACA Marketplace Enrollment, Premiums, and Deductibles

After the enhanced tax credits ended, many Marketplace shoppers shifted toward lower-premium, higher-deductible plans, according to a new KFF analysis. The average ACA deductible grew by about $1,000 per person in 2026. Marketplace enrollment could fall from 22.3 million in 2025 to about 17.5 million in 2026.

policy spotlight

Explore the Basics of U.S. Health Policy

Health Policy 101 is a comprehensive guide covering fundamental aspects of U.S. health policy and programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, employer-sponsored insurance, racial and ethnic disparities, and more. The chapters can be downloaded in a PDF format for faculty and student use, and the information will be updated annually or as data and circumstances change.