California: Attorney General Announces Court Victory as Federal Judge Vacates Narrowed 'Medically Frail' Definition in Medicaid Work Requirements Rule
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a court victory for California and its partner states in litigation over the federal Medicaid work requirements rule. The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts held that the federal government's new definition of "medically frail" in an interim final rule is unlawful, vacated the definitional language, and issued a permanent injunction against its implementation.
Federal law exempts "medically frail" enrollees — people with serious illnesses or severe functional limitations — from Medicaid work requirements. The new federal definition narrowed that exemption, which the states argued would strip protection from large numbers of seriously ill enrollees and put their coverage at risk. California joined the multistate lawsuit in June 2026.
The court also granted the plaintiff states a six-month stay of implementation so states can adjust how they administer Medicaid work requirements.
Bonta's office said the ruling preserves the states' lawful role in administering Medicaid and keeps the most vulnerable enrollees from being swept into work-requirement compliance procedures by a change of definition.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国卫生与公众服务部大楼（资料图）。Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 2.0。 / U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building (file photo). Via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
