Study: Work Requirements Threaten Medicaid for SSDI Applicants
A new analysis finds Medicaid covered more than 1 in 4 people applying for or awaiting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) during the Medicare waiting period, 120,300 of 415,300 people in 2023. These individuals rely on Medicaid as a bridge before Medicare eligibility begins, typically after a two-year waiting period following SSDI approval. The research warns that new Medicaid work requirements could jeopardize coverage continuity for this population, since many applicants and new beneficiaries may struggle to document exemptions or meet reporting rules while their disability status is still being determined or recently established. The analysis does not specify an implementation date for the work requirements but frames the risk as prospective, affecting future SSDI applicants and beneficiaries.