Serafi Quoted in Modern Healthcare on State Challenges in Implementing Medicaid Work Requirements

Manatt Health Partner was quoted in two Modern Healthcare articles examining the significant operational and compliance challenges states face as they prepare to implement new Medicaid work requirements by the January 1, 2027 deadline.

Across both articles, Serafi emphasized how states are navigating an extraordinarily compressed timeline while simultaneously building complex eligibility and verification systems to ensure accurate determinations. As implementation efforts accelerate, states are facing difficult decisions around technology upgrades, compliance processes and medical frailty determinations, all while balancing the risk of coverage disruptions and financial penalties.

In discussing work requirement readiness, Serafi underscored the importance of getting implementation right, noting, “The question is whether we want states implementing this law as quickly as humanly possible under this incredibly compressed timeline, or whether we want them implementing it correctly.”

Her comments highlight the broader tension facing Medicaid agencies nationwide as they work to meet federal deadlines while developing fair, accurate and operationally sustainable systems for beneficiaries and states alike.

Subscribers can read the Modern Healthcare articles and .