ACP says Medicaid work requirements will harm patient care

Statement attributable to:
Jan K. Carney, MD, MPH, MACP
President, American College of Physicians

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2026-The American College of Physicians is strongly opposed to the community engagement requirements, or work requirements, in the Medicaid program, that would be implemented under the interim final rule published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services yesterday. Most adults covered by Medicaid are already working, caregiving, or would not be subject to this policy due to illness or disability; research shows us that instituting work requirements will not meaningfully increase employment. Community engagement requirements create a tangle of red tape that diverts resources away from patient care and worsens the administrative burden on physicians. The Medicaid program is designed to ensure that those most vulnerable among us are able to access needed medical care. Instituting work requirements for the program could lead to millions of individuals losing health care coverage, putting at risk their health, financial security, and lives.

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About the American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 172 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 163,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness. Follow ACP on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our new RSS feed.

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