Beginning January 2027, Medicaid recipients ages 19-64 must complete at least 80 hours per month of qualifying work, education, or similar activities to remain eligible.
Last-reviewed: Oct. 7, 2026
General Information
- Insurance: Special enrollment periods are available if a person has had certain life events such as losing health care coverage, moving, getting married, adopting a baby, or if household income goes below a certain amount. On December 9, 2024, a federal court blocked DACA recipients from accessing insurance under a previously announced rule.
- Medicaid: The federal government recently issued an interim final rule to implement new Medicaid work requirements. Under the rule, Medicaid recipients ages 19-64 must complete at least 80 hours per month of qualifying work, education, or similar activities to remain eligible. Some exemptions will be available, including for pregnant and post-partum people, and “medically frail” individuals. These rules are expected to result in approximately 2.3 million people losing coverage in 2027. While most states are expected to launch the new requirements in January 2027, some states have already begun implementation. All Medicaid recipients should be prepared to recertify, and if their eligibility has changed, they should be prepared for a decrease or termination of coverage. Care teams can help people get the documents they will need to recertify.
- Health Centers: Nationwide, Federally Qualified Health Centers provide health care to those who are uninsured and underinsured. Find a FQHC in your area. HHS announced that many non-citizens and other previously eligible immigrants will no longer be eligible for a broad range of programs, including Title X family planning programs, and health center programs. No regulations on how this new policy will be implemented have been released yet.
- Veterans: Veterans who are having difficulty affording their copays may qualify for financial hardship assistance. Eligible veterans can apply online.
- Reproductive Rights: Abortion is now illegal or heavily restricted in many states. However, protections still exist for contraception and sensitive health information continues to be protected. Find more information at reproductiverights.org for reproductive health resources.
- Recovery resources: A new searchable directory of certified recovery residences is now available.
- General health information: Nearly half of the databases that the CDC runs, which previously shared the latest information about communicable diseases, vaccines, personal safety and healthy living, have been paused. Some states have formed alternative alliances to keep residents up to date with health information.
Spotlight on Safety Planning
Emergencies arise at all hours of the day.
- Call or text 911 for emergency response
- Call or text 988 to speak with a trained counselor when in emotional distress or suicide crisis. Translation services are only available by voice.
- New and expecting birthing parents who are experiencing a mental health crisis can call or text 1-833-943-5746 for assistance in either English or Spanish.