A federal judge on Wednesday struck down Medicaid work requirements for “able-bodied” adults in Arkansas and Kentucky. The requirements are somewhat similar to community engagement requirements that CMS has approved in Arizona (and scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2020).
The rulings found that the KY and AR waivers pose numerous obstacles to getting health care that haven’t been adequately addressed by CMS and the state officials in those states.
The ruling doesn’t apply to the AZ community engagement/work requirement waiver (which has already been approved) and probably won’t impact AHCCCS’ pending community engagement/work requirements scheduled for a 1/1/20 start date.
