Family Physicians: Protect Medicaid Coverage Without Adding Barriers to Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 30, 2026

Media Contact:
AAFP Public Relations
pr@aafp.org​

“Yesterday’s decision rejecting the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) narrow interpretation of ‘medically frail’ was the right one. The added functional-impairment test would have made it harder for people with serious health conditions to keep their Medicaid coverage.

CMS must now ensure eligible patients do not lose coverage and avoid shifting new paperwork and eligibility duties onto physician practices. Family physicians’ time should be spent caring for patients, not navigating unnecessary administrative burdens.

Medicaid is a lifeline for more than 75 million people. Losing coverage doesn’t make a health problem go away. It only delays care until a manageable condition becomes an emergency.”

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About the American Academy of Family Physicians
The AAFP is the largest national association of family physicians, representing 124,500 physicians and medical students. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing, personal patient-physician relationship focused on impactful care for people of all ages, races and genders across all medical conditions. The AAFP supports every stage of a family physician's career and provides evidence-based resources, advocacy and community to empower family medicine. To learn more, visit AAFP.org. For information about health care, medical conditions and wellness, please visit the AAFP’s patient education website, FamilyDoctor.org​.