I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1079 
To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to implement a minimum 
work requirement for able-bodied adults enrolled in State Medicaid programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 17, 2023 
Mr. GAETZ introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to implement 
a minimum work requirement for able-bodied adults en-
rolled in State Medicaid programs. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Medicaid Work Re-
quirements Act’’. 
SEC. 2. WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR ABLE-BODIED ADULTS. 
Section 1902 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1396a) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
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(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (86); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
paragraph (87) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (87) the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(88) beginning October 1, 2023, not provide 
medical assistance with respect to a month to an 
able-bodied adult (as defined in subsection (uu)(2)) 
that has not met the work requirement described in 
subsection (uu)(1) for such month.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(uu) WORK
REQUIREMENT
FOR
ABLE-BODIED 
ADULTS.— 
‘‘(1) WORK
REQUIREMENT
DESCRIBED.—For 
purposes of subsection (a)(88), the work require-
ment described in this subsection with respect to an 
able-bodied adult and a month is that such adult 
satisfies at least one of the following with respect to 
such month: 
‘‘(A) The adult works 120 hours or more 
per month, or has a month income that is at 
least equal to the federal minimum wage, multi-
plied by 120 hours. 
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‘‘(B) The adult volunteers for 80 hours or 
more per month. 
‘‘(C) The adult participates in a work pro-
gram for at least 80 hours a month. 
‘‘(D) The adult participates in a combina-
tion of work, including volunteer work, and a 
work program for a total of at least 80 hours 
per month. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) ABLE-BODIED
ADULT.—The term 
‘able-bodied adult’ means any individual who is 
not— 
‘‘(i) under 18 years of age or over 65 
years of age; 
‘‘(ii) physically or mentally unfit for 
employment, as determined by a physician 
or other medical professional; 
‘‘(iii) pregnant; 
‘‘(iv) the parent or caretaker of a de-
pendent child under 6 years of age; 
‘‘(v) the parent or caretaker of an in-
capacitated person; 
‘‘(vi) complying with work require-
ments under a different program under 
State or Federal law; 
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‘‘(vii) participating in a drug or alco-
hol treatment and rehabilitation program 
(as defined in section 3(h) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008); or 
‘‘(viii) enrolled in a college or univer-
sity, or a training program, at least half 
time. 
‘‘(B) INCAPACITATED PERSON.—The term 
‘incapacitated person’ means an individual who 
is incapable of making decisions concerning the 
provision, withholding, or withdrawal of foods, 
liquid, or medical treatment under applicable 
law. 
‘‘(C) WORK
PROGRAM.—The term ‘work 
program’ means— 
‘‘(i) a program approved by the Sec-
retary of Labor pursuant to section 236(a) 
of the Trade Act of 1974; or 
‘‘(ii) an employment or training pro-
gram operated by a State or a political 
subdivision of a State.’’. 
Æ 
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