Nevada Medicaid begins outreach effort over work requirements

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By April Corbin
Nevada Current

Nevada Medicaid has begun reaching out to recipients about eligibility changes set to go into effect on Jan. 1.

The Nevada Health Authority, which houses Nevada Medicaid, announced Wednesday it has started mailing notices to affected enrollees, and will follow up with text messages and emails throughout the month of September.

The President Trump-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” also known as HR1, set new work requirements for adults aged 19 to 64 who qualify for Medicaid coverage through the Affordable Care Act expansion. Beginning next year, those Nevadans must verify that they have completed at least 80 hours of qualifying work, job training, education, or community service in one month.

Renewals will also begin happening every six months. Previously, they happened annually.

Approximately 250,000 people will receive the informational letters, according to NVHA, but “most people” are expected to be excluded or already qualify under the new requirements.

“Our notices explain who is affected, what qualifies as community engagement, how to report compliance, and how to request an exemption,” said Nevada Medicaid Administrator Ann Jensen in a statement. “No one should lose coverage simply because they weren’t aware of the new requirement.”

Pregnant and postpartum individuals, people with disabilities or serious medical conditions, parents or caretakers of a child under 13, people on unemployment, people in drug or alcohol treatment programs, and people who are incarcerated are among the groups exempt from the work requirements.

Nevada Medicaid is urging recipients to update their contact information to ensure they receive notices, know their renewal date so they know when they need to meet the work requirements, and watch for scammers who may try to take advantage of confusion over the new changes.

Nevada Medicaid will never ask for payment or sensitive personal information by phone or text, the agency reminded.

NVHA has previously said an estimated 280,000 Nevadans could be impacted by the new work requirements.

In addition to direct outreach from the state, SilverSummit Healthplan, which holds the contract for Nevada Medicaid’s managed care program, is launching a public campaign. According to a separate announcement, those efforts will include attending community events, providing medical providers and organizations with toolkits, and providing one-on-one support to members.

Additional information can be found online at nevadamedicaid.nv.gov/WorkRequirements