Montana is slated to roll out Medicaid work requirements July 1, according to a Department of Public Health and Human Services presentation on March 9.
Under HR 1, Medicaid expansion states, such as Montana, must install community engagement requirements — through work, volunteering or education — by 2027 to be eligible for the program. Montana is striving to be an “early adopter,” having already channeled CMS feedback on a previous waiver and now moving forward with a state plan amendment. The state legislature passed a bill in 2019 that featured community engagement rules, as well.
On July 1, the state health department will also move toward six-month Medicaid redetermination requirements.
Florida, which has not expanded Medicaid, is inching closer to enacting work requirements, too. On March 9, the state Senate passed a bill that included community engagement standards for Medicaid access. The bill would allow exceptions but generally would require working for at least 80 hours per month, similar to the federal minimum.
“As the cost of Medicaid consumes more and more of our budget each year, we have an obligation to make certain we provide the best and most robust services to those truly in need, while establishing basic, minimal standards that ensure able-bodied adults on Medicaid are on the path to self-sufficiency,” Republican state Sen. Don Gaetz said in a news release.
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