For Americans nearing retirement age, the safety net just got a lot more conditional. Under the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” new work requirements for Medicaid and expanded work rules for SNAP are rolling out nationwide, and experts say they could force some older workers to stay on the job longer than planned just to keep health coverage or food assistance.
What Changed Under the New Law
The legislation introduced work requirements for Medicaid recipients ages 19 to 64 and expanded SNAP work requirements to include adults ages 55 to 64 — a significant shift from prior rules. For Medicaid, eligible individuals are required to work or participate in qualifying activities for at least 80 hours per month to maintain coverage. States have until January 1, 2027, to implement the requirements, and many have already started phasing them in.
For SNAP, able-bodied adults without dependent children are now limited to three months of benefits every three years unless they meet the same 80-hours-per-month threshold or qualify for an exemption.
Why This Matters for Older Workers
The changes land squarely on people who are close to retirement but not yet eligible for Medicare at age 65. Many older adults leave the workforce early due to health issues, caregiving responsibilities, or the physical demands of their jobs. While exemptions exist for some medical conditions or caregiving situations, qualifying often requires documentation and ongoing reporting — a process experts say can be difficult to navigate. As a result, some people may delay retirement or return to work simply to avoid losing coverage or food assistance during the gap years before Medicare eligibility.
Administrative Hurdles, Not Just Employment
Past state experiments with Medicaid work requirements suggest the biggest barrier isn’t refusal to work — it’s paperwork (daunting indeed). In Arkansas, a previous attempt to enforce Medicaid work rules resulted in coverage losses even though most affected recipients technically met the requirements. Many lost benefits because they failed to properly report hours or exemptions, not because they weren’t eligible.
Older adults may face additional challenges, including limited access to transportation, difficulty using online reporting systems, or inconsistent work hours that make monthly compliance harder to meet.
Volunteering Isn’t a Simple Fix
The law allows volunteering to count toward required hours, but that solution may not be as practical as it sounds. Many nonprofits can’t accommodate 20 hours per week of volunteer labor per person, and some actively discourage benefit recipients from volunteering due to conflicts of interest or reliability concerns. In rural areas, available volunteer opportunities may be scarce, and transportation can be a dealbreaker (Uber isn’t rampant everywhere, folks).
Even when opportunities exist, tracking hours and submitting proof adds another layer of complexity for people already struggling to make ends meet.
What Happens Next
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the changes could result in millions of Americans losing Medicaid or SNAP coverage over the next decade, including a significant number of adults ages 50 to 64. While states will control how the rules are implemented, policy experts note that major legislation is often revisited once real-world impacts become clearer. Adjustments or exemptions could follow, but for now, older workers approaching retirement may find themselves needing to work longer than planned just to stay covered.
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