North Dakota Prepares for new Medicaid Work Requirements

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service )

(By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service) – A little more than a year from now, new Medicaid work requirements kick in. They are part of the domestic policy law approved by congressional Republicans and North Dakota is beginning the prep work to make sure systems are ready and people are aware of the changes.

By Dec. 31 of next year, states must implement work requirements for adults receiving Medicaid coverage, if they fall under an expanded program. Each month, they will have to do 80 hours of work, school or volunteering to stay eligible.

Sarah Aker, executive director of the Medical Services Division for the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, said roughly half the recipients in North Dakota already work, with others meeting separate benchmarks. Still, she stressed outreach is needed.

“We anticipate doing a lot of education over the next year about this,” Aker emphasized. “They should expect to get more mail from us informing them of these changes. We’ll also be doing a lot of updates to our website.”