Nebraska’s First-in-the-Nation Medicaid Work Requirements Draw National Attention; Call Center Took 101,000 Calls in August
As the first state to implement Medicaid work requirements ahead of schedule, Nebraska’s pilot is drawing national attention. According to KFF Health News data reported November 10, Nebraska’s Medicaid call center handled more than 101,000 calls in August, up 66 percent from May. Nebraska put the new rules into effect on May 1, eight months ahead of the federal deadline of January 1, 2027, and about 70,000 adults must meet the work requirements. By August, roughly 1,100 people had been denied coverage for not meeting them. Jeff Powell, a spokesman for the state health department, said 93 percent of existing enrollees kept their coverage. KFF’s brief shows 9,614 applications were processed from May through August; 14 percent of new applicants were denied and 7 percent of renewals lost coverage, while 86 percent of new applicants met the work requirements or qualified for an exemption. Eli McCreary, 64, of Omaha, said he was told his coverage had lapsed after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer; the state said he had transitioned to Medicare after turning 65. Under the rules, enrollees must work, attend school or take part in job training for more than 80 hours a month. Nebraska’s experience is seen as a bellwether before the other 40 states implement work requirements next January, and health and advocacy groups in the state have recently held community hearings on residents’ concerns about the new rules.
Source: KFF Health News
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 内布拉斯加州议会大厦。（经 Wikimedia Commons，CC 授权）
