American Kidney Fund Statement on Interim Final Rule's Work Reporting Requirements for Medicaid Beneficiaries

ROCKVILLE, Md. (June 3, 2026) — The American Kidney Fund (AKF) issued the following statement about the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) interim final rule (IFR) for community engagement requirements for Medicaid applicants and beneficiaries.

"The American Kidney Fund remains deeply concerned with the aftereffects of H.R.1, with newly released work ("community engagement") requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries that are not only administratively complex and overly burdensome, but have the potential to cause significant patient harm through loss of healthcare coverage," said LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO.

"AKF is concerned that the IFR does not protect people with serious or complex health conditions — including people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) — and would increase the number of people who will lose their healthcare coverage.

"Work requirements pose a serious threat to the health of the ESRD and chronic disease community. AKF will continue advocacy efforts across the states to help ensure that there are no disruptions in care for all those on dialysis who rely on Medicaid for their health coverage."