States must implement a community engagement requirement for Medicaid expansion and other low-income adults by January 1, 2027, in accordance with Public Law 119-21, an Act to Provide for Reconciliation Pursuant to Title II of H. Con. Res. 14 (2025 Budget Reconciliation Act, P.L. 119-21), unless the state receives federal approval for an extended implementation timeline. Operationalizing these requirements will be a significant undertaking for states, particularly in the relatively short timeline the statute provides for implementation. Moreover, states will implement community engagement requirements amid other changes to Medicaid, including more frequent eligibility redeterminations for expansion adults and new limits on how states finance the non-federal share of their Medicaid programs.
In this session, panelists discuss major considerations for implementing Medicaid community engagement requirements, including areas where states would benefit from timely federal guidance.
Panelists included:
- Melisa Byrd, Senior Deputy Director and Medicaid Director, District of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance; President of the Board of Directors, National Association of State Medicaid Directors
- Jessica Kahn, Partner, McKinsey & Company
- Jennifer Strohecker, Integrated Healthcare Division and Medicaid Director, Utah Department of Health and Human Services
- Deanna Williams, Enrollment Assister, Georgians for a Healthy Future