Federal Court Blocks Kentucky Medicaid Community Engagement Requirements, Sends Waiver Back To CMS For Further Consideration

On June 29, 2018, a federal judge blocked Kentucky’s implementation of the Kentucky Helping to Engage and Achieve Long-Term Health (HEALTH) Medicaid 1115 waiver to impose community engagement requirements on able-bodied beneficiaries. The requirements of Kentucky HEALTH were slated to go live on July 1, 2018. Kentucky intended to impose monthly premiums and to link Medicaid eligibility for about 460,000 able-bodied beneficiaries to their participation in the workforce, approved volunteer, or work preparation activities. Beneficiaries could lose their Medicaid eligibility if they failed to pay the premiums or to successfully document their participation in work . . .