Federal Medicaid Work Rules Omit Homeless Individuals from Exemptions

Why it matters locally: California, with a significant homeless population, will likely see an impact on how its unhoused residents access Medicaid services as federal work requirements do not include homelessness as an exemption.

Federal policy outlining Medicaid work requirements does not include homelessness among its listed exemptions. Previously, proponents of Medicaid work requirements stated that vulnerable individuals would receive exemptions. However, the federal government's final list of exemptions does not account for homelessness. Izzy Kadrmas, a medical assistant at Partnership Health Center's Watershed Clinic in Missoula, Montana, has worked with individuals seeking healthcare. Tywon Pugh, for example, received blood testing from Kadrmas.