Politics
Four Democratic AGs Sue Trump Administration Over Medicaid Work Requirements Set to Begin in 2027
Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico and Washington filed suit in federal court in Oregon, arguing that Congress and the administration exceeded constitutional authority by forcing states to impose monthly work-reporting rules on Medicaid enrollees. State officials warn that hundreds of thousands of residents could lose coverage, with rural communities facing the steepest losses.
Four Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Oregon challenging the Trump administration's plan to impose work requirements on Medicaid enrollees starting in 2027, arguing that Congress and the administration overstepped their constitutional authority by ordering states to carry out the changes.
The suit was brought by the attorneys general of Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico and Washington. It names Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy and the agencies they lead as defendants.
The requirements stem from the sweeping 2025 federal tax and spending law championed by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. Under that law, Medicaid enrollees between the ages of 19 and 64 would have to document through monthly paperwork that they are working, attending school or volunteering at least 80 hours a month.
The law exempts people who are pregnant or postpartum, disabled or medically frail, and parents or caretakers of children younger than 14. People with disabilities and American Indians and Alaska Natives are also exempt.
A CMS spokesperson said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. Spokespeople for the health and human services department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the rules unconstitutional and pledged to defend access to care.
"It would be the height of bureaucratic cruelty to rip away someone's life-saving healthcare just because of unreasonable paperwork," Rayfield said in a statement. "And yet, that's exactly what Trump's bill does."
More than 1.4 million Oregonians receive coverage through the Oregon Health Plan, the state's Medicaid program. That amounts to 33% of adult Oregonians and more than half of children under 17. Oregon estimates the requirements will apply to nearly 40% of Oregon Health Plan enrollees, and the Oregon Health Authority projects that a third of those affected could lose coverage because of the added paperwork.
In Washington, more than 1.9 million residents receive care through the Apple Health program, including 15% of the state's adults and more than a third of its children. State officials estimate at least 20% of those members â roughly 120,000 people â could lose coverage under the new rules.
"This administration's changes to Medicaid are the latest cruel effort to shred the safety net for tens of thousands of Washingtonians," Washington Attorney General Nick Brown said. "This red tape will make people lose their health insurance, stop going to the doctor when they're sick and rely on our public hospitals for emergency care when inevitable health issues spiral out of control."
Rural communities are expected to be hit hardest, given higher Medicaid enrollment and unemployment rates there. State officials anticipate that rural healthcare facilities would face greater financial strain if the work requirements take effect.
The lawsuit is the latest front in a broader partisan battle over the future of the federal-state health program, which covers millions of low-income Americans. Supporters of work requirements argue they encourage employment and reduce dependency; critics say the reporting mandates function as administrative hurdles that strip coverage from eligible people who struggle to navigate paperwork.
Implementation is not scheduled to begin until 2027, leaving time for the courts to weigh the states' constitutional claims before the rules take effect.