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The House passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which requires 20 hours weekly work for Medicaid recipients ages 19-64. Healthcare information provide KFF predicts the bill will minimal impact on North Dakota’s healthcare system, though it may increase bureaucratic burdens. Ten percent of the state’s 105,000 Medicaid enrollees would be affected by work requirements, with exemptions for tribal members, pregnant women, and disabled individuals, which Congresswoman Fedorchak says the program is intended to help. The Congressional Budget Office projects 7.7-8.6 million Americans could lose coverage nationwide, with North Dakota’s uninsured potentially rising from 10,000 to 17,000 people. The bill includes a moratorium on Biden-era nursing home staffing requirements that would have been difficult for North Dakota facilities to meet. Rural hospitals in counties with high Medicaid enrollment rates, particularly those near tribal lands, face the greatest risk from potential coverage losses.
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