New Hampshire weakens Medicaid work rules and extends deadline

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed a bill into law Monday that delays requiring certain Medicaid beneficiaries in the state work or train for work as a condition of staying enrolled in the program.

The requirements had just taken effect June 1, stipulating that recipients must work, go to school, or volunteer for at least 100 hours a month if they want to stay on Medicaid, which is a state and federal program that covers healthcare at no cost to patients. But just over a month into the program, nearly 18,000 people in New Hampshire hadn’t reported their employment or asked for an exemption, according to the state’s health department.