The New Work Requirement in Medicaid: A Brief Update

On January 12, 2018, Kentucky became the first state to be granted approval for the Medicaid work demonstration waiver known as “Kentucky Health” under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act. Thereafter, a class action lawsuit, Stewart et al v. Azar et al., was filed in the District of Columbia Federal Court by Kentucky Medicaid beneficiaries challenging the authority of the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar, to approve the waiver.¹