Arkansas will begin a soft launch of Medicaid work and community engagement requirements for enrollees in its Medicaid expansion program on July 1, with full enforcement set to begin Jan. 1, 2027.
State officials said in February that healthy adults enrolled in Arkansas Health and Opportunity for Me, or ARHOME, will be required to work, volunteer, or attend school for at least 80 hours per month. No penalties will be in effect during the soft launch period, but the state will run automated checks to determine whether beneficiaries are meeting, exempt from, or not meeting the requirement, and will notify them of their status.
About 217,000 people were enrolled in ARHOME as of Feb. 1. The requirement applies to enrollees ages 19 to 64 who are not exempt. Exempt categories include pregnant and postpartum women, disabled veterans, caregivers, and those with special medical needs.
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, beneficiaries who do not meet the community engagement requirement will have 30 days to demonstrate compliance before their Medicaid benefits are suspended.
States that expanded Medicaid are required under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law last July, to implement work and community engagement programs by Jan. 1, 2027. The law also allows states to implement the changes earlier.
Nebraska is planning to roll out work requirements in May, and Montana is slated for July. Florida, which has not expanded Medicaid, is inching closer to enacting work requirements as well. Iowa had originally set a January 2026 target to begin enforcing work requirements, though the state has since said January 1, 2027 is the new start date.
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