Florida Medicaid enrollees are not subject to the federal Medicaid work requirement that takes effect January 1, 2027. The federal rule applies only to the ACA Medicaid expansion adult group, and Florida never expanded Medicaid, so the state has no expansion population to apply it to. Florida lawmakers tried to create a state version anyway during the 2026 legislative session through SB 1758, but the bill died when the House and Senate could not agree on a final version. As of July 2026, no Florida Medicaid enrollee has to report work hours to keep coverage.
That said, work rules in Florida did change in 2026 for other programs. If you get SNAP food assistance or Temporary Cash Assistance, the rules that apply to you are stricter now than they were a year ago. This guide separates what is real from what was only proposed.
Quick Answer Table
| Question | Answer as of July 2026 |
|---|
| Do Florida Medicaid enrollees have to work 80 hours a month? | No |
| Does the federal January 1, 2027 requirement apply in Florida? | No. Florida is a non-expansion state |
| Did Florida pass its own work requirement in 2026? | No. SB 1758 died at the end of session |
| Could Florida pass one in a future session? | Yes. Lawmakers have signaled they will try again |
| Do Florida SNAP recipients face work rules? | Yes, and they expanded in late 2025 |
| Do Florida TCA (cash assistance) recipients face work rules? | Yes, they always have |
Why the Federal Rule Skips Florida
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in July 2025, created a nationwide Medicaid "community engagement" requirement. On June 1, 2026, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued an interim final rule (CMS-2454-IFC) spelling out how it works. States must have it running no later than January 1, 2027.
The requirement applies to non-pregnant adults ages 19 to 64 who are enrolled in, or applying for, the Medicaid adult expansion group and who are not entitled to Medicare. Those adults must complete at least 80 hours per month of qualifying activity: paid work, self-employment, community service, a work program, or half-time enrollment in an education or job training program.
Florida does not have an adult expansion group. Florida is one of 10 states that never adopted ACA Medicaid expansion, alongside Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In the 41 expansion states, adults qualify for Medicaid up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, roughly $37,700 a year for a family of three. In Florida, there is no coverage category for a low-income adult who is not a parent, pregnant, elderly, or disabled, no matter how little that person earns.
Because there is no expansion population, the federal 80-hour rule has nobody in Florida to attach to.
Who Florida Medicaid Actually Covers
Understanding why the work requirement debate in Florida was unusual requires knowing how narrow adult eligibility already is.
| Category | Approximate 2026 income limit | Notes |
|---|
| Parents and caretaker relatives | About 26 to 27% FPL, roughly $7,176 a year for a household of three | Among the lowest thresholds in the country |
| Pregnant women | About 196% FPL. Florida DCF lists $2,608/month for household of 1, $3,537 for 2, $4,463 for 3, and $5,391 for 4, effective April 2026 through March 2027 | Coverage continues 12 months postpartum |
| Adults without dependent children | Not eligible at any income | No coverage pathway unless disabled |
| Children | 133% to 211% FPL depending on age, higher through Florida KidCare | Much broader than adult coverage |
| Aged and disabled adults | SSI-linked and long-term care pathways, $2,000 asset limit for an individual | Would be exempt from any work rule |
Adults ages 19 to 64 make up only about 11 percent of Florida's non-disabled Medicaid population, and none of them are childless adults. A parent working 80 hours a month at Florida's $15 minimum wage would earn about $14,000 a year, which is roughly double the parent eligibility threshold. That is the central contradiction critics raised: complying with the proposed work rule would have pushed many enrollees straight out of eligibility and into the coverage gap.
For the full breakdown of who qualifies, see our Florida benefits guide.
What SB 1758 Would Have Done
Senator Don Gaetz filed SB 1758, a 38-page bill, for the 2026 session. It would have required certain adult Medicaid enrollees to document 80 hours per month of work, education, or training, or lose coverage.
The Senate's own bill analysis put the affected population at roughly 111,800 people, about 3 percent of Florida's 3.9 million Medicaid enrollees. The analysis also found that about 68 percent of that group already worked.
The bill directed the Agency for Health Care Administration to build an implementation plan with other state agencies, submit it to the Governor and Legislature by December 1, and then come back for legislative approval before anything took effect. Nothing would have switched on automatically.
Exemptions in the Proposed Florida Bill
SB 1758 largely mirrored the federal exemption categories:
- Adults age 65 and older
- People with a disability
- People residing in a nursing home
- Terminally ill patients in hospice with a prognosis of six months or less
- Parents and caregivers of a child age 13 or younger
- Medically frail individuals
- Tribal members
Why It Died
The Senate passed SB 1758 in early March 2026. The House companion, HB 693, did not include the Medicaid work requirement at all, and it carried provisions the Senate bill lacked. A related measure, HB 1453, took a different approach to the covered age range. With the chambers unable to reconcile the versions before the session ended in mid-March, the Medicaid work requirement died, along with the proposed expansion of SNAP work rules attached to it.
The practical result: zero Florida Medicaid enrollees are subject to a work-hour reporting rule in 2026.
Federal Timeline, and Where Florida Sits
| Date | What happens | Applies to Florida? |
|---|
| July 2025 | One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed, creating the Medicaid community engagement requirement | Indirectly. SNAP changes yes, Medicaid no |
| November 2025 | Expanded SNAP ABAWD rules take effect nationwide | Yes |
| March 2026 | Florida SB 1758 passes the Senate, then dies in conference | Yes, and it failed |
| June 1, 2026 | CMS issues interim final rule CMS-2454-IFC | No expansion group in FL |
| July 31, 2026 | Interim final rule provisions take effect, comment period closes | No |
| January 1, 2027 | Expansion states must have work requirements operating | No |
| January 2028 | Self-attestation for exemptions generally phases out in expansion states | No |
Work Rules That DO Apply in Florida Right Now
Do not confuse the Medicaid debate with the programs that already carry work rules. Two of them affect large numbers of Floridians.
SNAP (Food Assistance)
SNAP work rules changed substantially in late 2025 and these changes are live in Florida.
- The able-bodied adult without dependents (ABAWD) age range rose from 18 to 54 up to 18 to 64. Adults ages 55 through 64 who used to be exempt now have to meet the requirement.
- The standard is 80 hours per month, about 20 hours per week, met through paid work, in-kind work, volunteering, or an approved employment and training program.
- Without meeting it, benefits are limited to 3 months in a 36-month period.
- The parent and caretaker exemption now applies only when the youngest child in the household is under 14.
- Exemptions that previously covered veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and former foster youth under 25 were repealed.
- ABAWD time limit waivers for high-unemployment areas were eliminated, so no part of Florida is currently waived.
If you get SNAP in Florida and you are between 18 and 64 without a child under 14 in the home, assume the requirement applies unless DCF has told you otherwise in writing.
Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA)
Florida's TANF cash program has always carried work obligations. Adults receiving TCA generally must register for work through CareerSource Florida and participate in assigned work activities, typically 30 to 35 hours a week depending on household composition. Failure to comply triggers sanctions on the cash grant, not on Medicaid.
Notably, the federal Medicaid rule in expansion states treats anyone already meeting SNAP or TANF work requirements as automatically compliant. That crossover would likely have appeared in any future Florida version too.
What to Do Right Now
- Do not stop reporting changes. Florida Medicaid still requires you to report income, address, and household changes to DCF within 10 days. Most coverage losses in Florida come from paperwork problems at renewal, not from work rules.
- Open every DCF notice. Renewal packets, requests for verification, and interview notices all have short deadlines. Log in at myaccess.myflfamilies.com to check for pending items.
- Keep your contact information current. DCF cannot reach you about a renewal if your address or phone number is stale.
- If you get SNAP, track your hours now. The ABAWD requirement is real and active. Save pay stubs, volunteer logs, and training enrollment confirmations.
- If you are in the coverage gap, check marketplace options. Floridians above 100 percent FPL who do not qualify for Medicaid may qualify for a subsidized marketplace plan. About 388,000 Floridians sit in the gap below that line, and community health centers with sliding fee scales are the usual fallback.
- Watch the 2027 session. Legislators who backed SB 1758 have said they intend to return to it. Any future requirement would still need an AHCA implementation plan and legislative sign-off before affecting anyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to work 80 hours a month to keep Florida Medicaid in 2026?
No. There is no work-hour requirement for Florida Medicaid. The federal 80-hour community engagement rule applies to the ACA expansion adult group, and Florida never created one. The state bill that would have imposed a similar rule, SB 1758, failed in March 2026.
Will Florida Medicaid work requirements start January 1, 2027?
No. That date applies to the 41 states that expanded Medicaid. Florida is one of 10 non-expansion states excluded from the federal mandate, along with Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
How many Floridians would have been affected by SB 1758?
State bill analysis estimated roughly 111,800 people, about 3 percent of Florida's 3.9 million Medicaid enrollees. Analysts also found about 68 percent of that group was already working.
Who would have been exempt under the Florida proposal?
Adults 65 and older, people with disabilities, nursing home residents, hospice patients with a prognosis of six months or less, parents and caregivers of children age 13 or younger, medically frail individuals, and Tribal members.
Could Florida still add Medicaid work requirements later?
Yes. Nothing prevents the Legislature from filing a similar bill in a future session, and supporters have said they plan to. Because Florida has no expansion group, the state would be acting voluntarily, and the legality of applying the requirement to traditional non-expansion populations has been questioned. Any such law would also require an AHCA implementation plan and a second round of legislative approval before taking effect.
Do SNAP work requirements apply in Florida in 2026?
Yes. Adults ages 18 through 64 without a dependent child under 14 generally must complete 80 hours per month of work or approved activity or face a 3-month limit on benefits within any 36-month period. Waivers for high-unemployment areas were eliminated nationwide.
Can adults without children get Medicaid in Florida at all?
Generally no. Florida has no coverage category for non-disabled adults without dependent children, regardless of income. Exceptions run through disability, SSI, pregnancy, or long-term care pathways.
Where do I check my Florida Medicaid status?
Log in to MyACCESS at myaccess.myflfamilies.com, or call the DCF customer call center at 1-866-762-2237. Check for pending verification requests and confirm your renewal date.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change. Verify current requirements with the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Agency for Health Care Administration before making decisions about your coverage.
