Opinion: Lawmakers promised cancer patients would be protected from Medicaid cuts. Now CMS says otherwise
Article excerpt
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has finalized a rule on Medicaid work requirements that contradicts earlier assurances to cancer patient advocates, according to Gwen Nichols of Blood Cancer United. Lawmakers had promised that cancer patients would be shielded from coverage losses under new work mandate policies, but the CMS's final rule appears to offer less protection than the cancer community expected. The divergence between political pledges and regulatory reality has prompted sharp criticism from patient advocacy groups who fear vulnerable populations will lose health insurance coverage.
In May 2025, I joined more than 160 blood cancer advocates on Capitol Hill. At the time, Congress was considering changes to Medicaid, a state and federal program that is a lifeline for more than 75 million Americans, including older adults, children, veterans, people with disabilities, pregnant people, and adults with low incomes. Together, we advocated against policies that threatened to put health care out of reach for millions.
One of those concerning policies was work reporting requirements for people covered by Medicaid. The then-proposed legislation mandated that states verify Medicaid enrollees’ monthly work status at least every six months to ensure that they are engaging each month in a minimum of 80 hours of community service, educational activities, and/or work. But undergoing cancer treatment is already a full-time job; many patients are unable to work because of their condition.
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