Multiple Doctors’ Groups File Suit Challenging Medicaid Work Requirements Rule

In a case filed on September 18, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, individual Medicaid enrollees and groups representing physicians sued the federal government on the basis that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) interim final rule on work requirements improperly restricting statutory exclusions for 'medically frail' exceptions.

The suit seeks judicial review on the CMS addition of medical conditions directly affecting an individual's ability to comply with work requirements, limitations on use of data older than 12 months, and the short-term applicability of self-attestation to meet the medically frail exception. The complaint seeks a stay of the effective date of the rule (July 31) for the challenged provisions, and for the court to vacate the challenged provision and permanently prevent their implementation.

More details are available in the full complaint, here.