Overview
- A coalition of 25 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed a federal suit in Massachusetts asking a judge to stay and vacate key provisions of the June 3 CMS interim rule.
- The lawsuit says the rule redefines “medically frail” to require proof that a condition significantly impairs an enrollee’s ability to meet the 80-hours-per-month requirement, a change the states call narrower than Congress intended.
- States argue CMS surprised them with the new interpretation after months of planning and that the rule’s stepped-up verification and limits on self-attestation will create paperwork traps that risk wrongful disenrollments.
- The complaint, filed Monday, alleges Administrative Procedure Act violations and unconstitutional coercion by imposing near-term duties, including member notices due by August 31, 2026 and program starts by January 1, 2027.
- Supporters of the suit point to past state experiments and independent analyses showing work‑requirement programs typically cut coverage through administrative barriers rather than raising employment, and warn of higher uncompensated care and strain on safety‑net providers.