Which states have proposed 2026 Medicaid waivers or expansions that change eligibility for low-income parents?
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Executive summary
Public reporting does not produce a single definitive roster of states that have filed 2026 Medicaid waiver or expansion proposals specifically changing eligibility for low‑income parents; authoritative trackers like KFF’s waiver table and CMS’s demonstration list must be consulted for state‑by‑state specifics [1] [2]. A few items in the reporting point to concrete state moves or risks for parents — notably changes in the District of Columbia and flags about Ohio and Arkansas — but the available sources are fragmentary and require follow‑up [3] [4].
1. What the trackers say: there’s activity, but no single “parents” list
KFF’s Medicaid Waiver Tracker catalogs approved and pending Section 1115 waivers and shows which states have proposals that could alter eligibility, benefits or delivery, but its public snapshot is organized by waiver and state activity rather than by demographic (i.e., “low‑income parents”) so it is the primary place to check for proposals that would affect parental eligibility in 2026 [1]. The CMS state waivers list similarly records Section 1115 and 1915 demonstrations for every state but does not package those entries into a ready‑made list of “parent eligibility changes,” requiring search and interpretation at the state‑level [2].
2. Concrete reporting examples: D.C., and possible Ohio/Arkansas flags
At least one outlet flagged a concrete change for the District of Columbia: reporting compiled in 2025 noted that effective January 1, 2026, D.C. lowered income limits for parents and childless adults to the federal standard (138% FPL), a direct eligibility change that would affect low‑income parents in that jurisdiction [3]. Separate reporting that aggregates state developments also flagged Ohio and Arkansas as jurisdictions with “trigger laws” or pending waiver requests that could introduce work requirements or other eligibility changes in late 2026 — language that suggests risk to parental eligibility though it does not confirm a final 2026 waiver that explicitly targets parents [3].
3. Why many proposals don’t look like “parent expansions” on their face
A lot of 1115 and 1915 activity focuses on delivery system experiments, long‑term services and supports, or coverage for specific populations such as disabled children or seniors rather than across‑the‑board parental income thresholds; MACPAC and CMS explain that waivers commonly test payment models and HCBS authority rather than simple income expansions or contractions that single out parents [5] [6]. That reality means a state might submit an 1115 that has downstream impacts on parents (cost‑sharing, work requirements, continuous eligibility) without a headline “parent eligibility changed” statement, so parsing waiver language is essential [5].
4. Federal policy shifts and their indirect effects on parents in 2026
Separately, federal legislative changes introduced reporting items with direct operational impacts in 2026 — for example, administrative redetermination cadence and immigrant eligibility limits tied to H.R.1 — which can change whether parents remain enrolled or qualify, even if not framed as state waiver actions; Colorado’s state guidance highlights a shift to 6‑month redeterminations for expansion adults beginning December 31, 2026, showing how federal rules interact with state practice [7]. Those national maneuverings can make it harder to attribute eligibility shifts to a state waiver alone.
5. How to verify and the limits of current reporting
To determine precisely which states proposed 2026 waivers or expansions that change eligibility for low‑income parents, the public KFF waiver tracker and the CMS state waivers/demonstration list are the authoritative starting points and must be reviewed line‑by‑line for proposals with eligibility language affecting parents [1] [2]. The sources provided here do not contain a comprehensive, up‑to‑date list limited to “low‑income parents in 2026,” so any definitive claim beyond the D.C. example or the Ohio/Arkansas flags would require inspection of the specific waiver applications, state public comment notices, or KFF/CMS entries not fully excerpted in the available reporting [3] [1].
Bottom line
Current reporting confirms jurisdictional activity that could change parental eligibility in 2026 — with the District of Columbia explicitly reported to lower parent income limits and Ohio/Arkansas flagged for potential eligibility‑affecting actions — but does not supply a complete, up‑to‑date roster of states with 2026 waiver or expansion proposals targeting low‑income parents; the KFF waiver tracker and CMS waiver list are the necessary next steps for a definitive state‑by‑state answer [3] [1] [2].