CMS approves Ariz. Medicaid waiver with work requirement

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services today approved a Section 1115 waiver for Arizona that will require certain adults aged 19 to 49 to work or participate in training or community service an average 80 hours per month to continue qualifying for Medicaid. The requirement would not begin before Jan. 1, 2020, and includes an exemption for members of federally recognized tribes. Arizona is the eighth state to add a work requirement to Medicaid since CMS issued policy guidance a year ago for states proposing demonstration projects that require work or other community engagement activities. The work requirements in Arkansas are being challenged in court.