Tribal leaders warn of Medicaid disruptions despite exemption from work rules

Tribal health leaders say Native American enrollees remain at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as states prepare to implement new federal work and eligibility requirements by 2027. Although the law signed this summer by President Donald Trump exempts Native Americans from the new rules, leaders point to problems during the “unwinding” of pandemic-era protections when many eligible people lost coverage because of paperwork issues, according to KFF Health News.

In Montana, Jonnell Wieder of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes said her daughter was cut off from Healthy Montana Kids when her renewal paperwork was delayed in 2024. It took six months for the child’s coverage to be restored. “Never did I talk to anybody,” Wieder said of repeated calls to the state health department. Advocates say similar procedural errors could affect Native families as states implement the new law.