A GOP Congressman Backed Medicaid Work Requirements. His Voters Might Be Exempt. By Jackie Fortiér Nov. 2, 2026

https://kffhealthnews.org/elections/medicaid-work-rules-california-valadao-villegas-22nd-district-unemployment-exempt/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--G_u6S_SFQ8Gr5R4dsmXHUiTIbcfY5voe-gAwzy8ngMlwMBfKleHu0sifgU8tI24lJi2ccWBf4YyqWknjkM2SBULtG7Q&_hsmi=447047805&utm_content=447047805&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: A GOP Congressman Backed Medicaid Work Requirements. His Voters Might Be Exempt When U.S. Rep. David Valadao defended voting for a bill aimed at reducing Medicare spending by billions, the Republican noted his role in securing a key provision that will require some adult beneficiaries to work — a mandate he called “not an unreasonable ask.” But the voters in his California Central Valley district, home to one of the most competitive House races in the nation, might get a pass from the Medicaid work rules in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last summer. (Fortiér, 11/2)