Medicaid as a Bridge
to Opportunity

Continuous Coverage Supports Work, Stability, and Public Safety

Medicaid is one of the most powerful — yet most underutilized — tools in successful reentry. We're working to ensure it becomes a core pillar of America's reentry infrastructure.

Across the country, Medicaid provides nearly 80 million Americans with essential access to physical, mental, and behavioral health services. Research links Medicaid enrollment with improvements to individual health and employment outcomes, as well as increased community health and public safety.

Why Medicaid Matters for Reentry

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Every year, 600,000 people return home from incarceration. Many are eligible for Medicaid but never enroll due to administrative barriers and lack of support.

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However, due to upcoming changes to the Medicaid program, in most states many Medicaid beneficiaries will have to meet new work requirements or risk losing their health coverage.

For justice-impacted people, losing Medicaid means:

Gaps in critical healthcare services and medications
Barriers to work and income stability
Increased risk of reincarceration
Higher long-term healthcare costs for families, states, and communities

The Challenge Ahead

Aligning Work Requirements with Work Opportunities

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The 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill (H.R.1) establishes Medicaid community engagement work requirements for the first time in history.

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Across the country, Medicaid provides nearly 80 million Americans with essential access to physical, mental, and behavioral health services. Research links Medicaid enrollment with improvements to individual health and employment outcomes, as well as increased community health and public safety.

Without system changes to ensure that justice-impacted individuals have job opportunities, researchers warn that many will be unable to meet Medicaid work requirements, resulting in widespread coverage losses -- and potentially long-term consequences including:

Increased Instability

Rising Unemployment

Higher Recidivism Rates

Public Health and Safety Concerns

Think Pieces

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Policy Briefs

SNAP

The Training & Nutrition Stability Act

Medicaid

More Than a Background

Medicaid

Reentry, Work, and Medicaid: Building Systems That Don't Fail

Medicaid

Income-Supported Reeentry

Policy Priorities

Building a Stronger Medicaid System — for Everyone

CEO’s Advocacy Focuses On

Integration

Align benefits across SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid

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Aligning and integrating SNAP (food assistance), TANF (temporary cash assistance and employment supports for families), and Medicaid work requirements to create smooth, automatic processes that help people meet community engagement requirements while maintaining access to healthcare.

Simplification

Streamlined Tracking &anp; Reporting

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Developing simplified state-level processes for determining, tracking, and reporting work requirement exemptions (e.g., for individuals who are medically frail).