Federal Medicaid Work Rules Omit Homeless Individuals from Exemptions

Why it matters locally: Mississippi's Medicaid program will need to consider how these federal work rules, which do not exempt homeless individuals, will affect its own policies and the state's vulnerable populations. The omission could place additional burdens on local health and social services.

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.