A Look at the High Unemployment Hardship Exception to Medicaid Work Requirements Based on Unemployment Data from February 2025 to January 2026 Authors: Clea Bell, Jennifer Tolbert, and Rhiannon Euhus Published: May 18, 2026

https://www.kff.org/medicaid/a-look-at-the-high-unemployment-hardship-exception-to-medicaid-work-requirements-based-on-unemployment-data-from-february-2025-to-january-2026/ The 2025 reconciliation law will—for the first time—require adults who are enrolled in Medicaid though the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expansion, along with those in partial expansion waiver programs in Georgia and Wisconsin, to meet work requirements or qualify for an exemption as a condition of eligibility starting in January 2027 in most states.