Report: Up to 2.3M young adults in U.S. could lose Medicaid coverage because of work requirements

New research from the Urban Institute finds that millions of young adults in the U.S. could lose Medicaid coverage when work reporting requirements are implemented next year (Source: “How Medicaid work requirements could impact young adults,” Fierce Healthcare, Sept. 14).

The report, released Monday, found that work reporting requirements could cause up to 2.3 million people ages 19 to 24 to lose Medicaid coverage, especially as check-ins become more frequent.

States have some leeway in how they could respond to the work requirements, and any mitigation strategies they deploy will impact how many people ultimately lose coverage, according to the report. Depending on how states roll out their programs, 1.1 million to 2.3 million young adults could fall off the rolls, the study projects.

RAND Corporation analysis released this summer estimated that 172,600 Ohioans (of all ages) could lose Medicaid coverage over the next decade because of the new work requirement.

The analysts said young adults are more likely to struggle to keep up with required eligibility determinations because they tend to be transient and may move between states more frequently. Eligible activities they engage in, such as gig work or schooling, are harder for states to capture, per the report.

In June, HPIO released a policy update on implementing Medicaid work requirements in Ohio.