By Anil OzaJuly 30, 2026
General Assignment Reporter
BOSTON — In an order issued Thursday, a federal judge denied 26 states’ request to postpone the implementation of Medicaid work requirements announced in June.
The case, which was filed by 26 states, seeks to alter a piece of one of President Trump’s biggest legislative priorities. The suit is focused on the implementation of a work requirement for people who receive Medicaid, the details of which were issued in June with the target of implementing the changes by Jan. 1. But states must also communicate with Medicaid recipients by Aug. 31 regarding how the changes may affect those enrollees.
In his order Thursday, U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns of Massachusetts ruled in an initial decision to deny the states’ request for a preliminary injunction to pause the implementation of the work requirement rules outlined in June. The states argued in a hearing Tuesday that they did not have the staff or capacity to roll out the work requirement as requested on the timeline put forth by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, writing that it would “cause harm and chaos.” They also argued that it violates the Administrative Procedures Act, which governs how agencies should implement changes in policy.
