The state became the first to act, eight months before the 2027 federal deadline, with about 72,000 adults affected and roughly 25,000 at risk of losing coverage.
New enrollees must immediately prove 80 monthly hours of work, study or volunteering, while current recipients have until at least late July before denials or coverage losses can begin.
Officials say the policy will promote self-sufficiency, but advocates warn rushed rollout, complex medical-frailty exemptions and frequent eligibility checks could wrongly cut off eligible people and disrupt care.
Will new Medicaid work rules lift people from poverty or simply cut their healthcare?
Past work requirement trials failed; what makes this nationwide rollout different?