Judge Richard Stearns blocks Trump administration rule narrowing Medicaid work exemptions
U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns in Boston on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from enforcing a rule that narrowed exemptions from Medicaid work requirements for people deemed medically frail. Stearns sided with 25 states and the District of Columbia.
More context
A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Trump administration cannot enforce its restriction on exemptions to Medicaid work requirements for people with serious medical conditions. The order applies in 25 states and the District of Columbia, which sued in June over a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule issued that month. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns, in Boston, ruled that definition unlawfully narrowed the law’s “medically frail” exemption, which includes people who are blind, have a disabling mental disorder or have another complex medical condition. It does not strike down the requirements, set to begin in January. They require eligible adults to document 80 hours a month of work, volunteering or school.
Was this story useful?
What was the main problem? (optional)
Reporting
- NBC News (with Reuters) — Judge blocks ‘medically frail’ definition in Medicaid work requirement rule
- PBS News (with Associated Press) — Judge blocks Trump administration's Medicaid work requirement rule forcing proof of medical frailty | PBS News
- Reuters — US judge blocks Trump limits to Medicaid work requirement exceptions
- The New York Times — Court Blocks Strict New Rule for Medicaid Work Requirements - The New York Times
- statnews.com — Judge rejects new Medicaid work rules for the medically frail | STAT
Verifier’s note
Reuters, NBC News, PBS, The New York Times, and STAT all report that a federal judge blocked the administration’s restrictive Medicaid medical-frailty rule. NBC News republishes Reuters, while PBS carries an Associated Press report; the New York Times and STAT report independently.