Judge Blocks Federal Medicaid Work Requirement Rule: Washington and a Multistate Coalition Win, With Apple Health Covering About 1.9 Million People
In Olympia, Thurston County, Washington, a federal district court in Massachusetts ruled on October 30 that the Trump administration's implementation of new Medicaid work requirements was unlawful, blocking the rule and handing a victory to Washington and the multistate coalition that sued in June 2026.
The court held that the administration's new interpretation of key terms such as "medically frail" is contrary to law, vacated the language, issued a permanent injunction, and granted the plaintiff states a six-month stay of enforcement to accommodate errors or delays from the implementation changes. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said Medicaid is the safety-net health program for low-income Americans, and Washington's Apple Health program covers approximately 1.9 million people, including people experiencing homelessness and those with serious or complex medical conditions.
The dispute stems from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' June 2026 interim final rule, the "Community Engagement Requirement," which the states say unexpectedly changed the exemption standards for medically frail people, making exemptions harder to obtain. The state said it will continue to defend Medicaid.
Source: GSM America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：华盛顿州议会大厦（奥林匹亚）。Martin Kraft摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。 / Washington State Capitol in Olympia. Photo by Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
