Update about new federal Medicaid work requirement
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) has received federal guidance about the new federal Medicaid work requirement states must implement and is actively conducting a comprehensive review. The requirement was signed into law on July 4, 2025, in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). OBBBA required the federal government to issue guidance by June 1, 2026.
The federal Medicaid work requirement for states will go into effect early next year. Because of the new federal requirements, some adults enrolled in BadgerCare Plus will need to show that they work, go to school, or volunteer, to keep their coverage.
We have been preparing to implement the requirement for almost a year based on the limited verbal guidance we received from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as well as information we learned by collaborating with other states and learning from their approaches. Our implementation plan has included drafting the policies, procedures, and system changes needed to support the work requirement. The scope of these changes takes many months to develop and implement.
Our goal is to reduce the administrative burden on current and future Medicaid members to meet the new federal red-tape work requirement.
DHS has been working with, and will continue to work with partners, providers, and members.
Webinar—June 18
DHS will provide an update about the Medicaid work requirement at our upcoming webinar. This webinar will take place on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at 2 p.m. Register for the June 18 webinar.
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