Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen, along with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, announced Wednesday Nebraska will be the first state to implement Medicaid work requirements.
The new requirements say able-bodied adults from 19 to 64 years old must complete 80 hours a month of employment, education, or community service to continue receiving Medicaid.
Pillen said it will encourage people to work and engage with their community, saying it’s a key piece of giving the discipline for families to be successful.
He said those who are elderly, blind, or disabled will not be left behind and that there are some exemptions to the work requirements provided for situations like pregnancy, severe illness, and caregivers of disabled individuals.
According to the 2024 Medicaid report from the state’s department of health and human services, about 360,000 people were enrolled in Medicaid; half of them were children.
Critics of the work requirements are concerned they will keep eligible people from receiving Medicaid, especially those with disabilities.
Edison McDonald, Executive Director of National Disability Action, said in a statement given to Nebraska Public Media that he has worked with Nebraska DHHS to improve job eligibility and accessibility, saying that Nebraska’s Medicaid system is not ready to administer the work requirements.
Sarah Maresh, Program Director of Nebraska Appleseed Health Care Access, said in a statement that enforcing the Medicaid work requirements too quickly would cause Nebraskans who are working or meet work exemption requirements to lose coverage.
Both Pillen and Oz said the key goal of the work requirements is to lift people out of poverty so they no longer have to rely on Medicaid for health insurance.
The requirements are expected to be implemented by May 1st, 2026.
