President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” could affect when some seniors retire due to new work requirements for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
This law introduced a Medicaid work requirement up to age 64 for certain individuals. States have until January 1, 2027 to adopt the new requirements. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act also raised the work age requirement for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, from 55 to 64. Each state is currently implementing these SNAP requirements, although the specific timelines vary.
Some applicants may be exempt from these requirements as long as they can prove they are eligible.
But as the law takes effect, some older workers may need to delay retirement to take advantage of benefits, experts say. Those affected could include people who need health insurance but have not yet reached the general eligibility age of 65 for Medicare, and people who need food assistance.
Older people with higher incomes tend to be in better health, able to work longer and live longer, said Jack Smallan, a senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute, a Washington-based think tank. But data shows the opposite is true for lower-income older workers, he said.
“A significant portion of people who retire early do so essentially because it’s difficult to stay in the workforce,” Smallgan said.
“Right now, we’ve basically created a situation where… they don’t get food assistance until they reach the age of 65,” he said.
Similarly, including older adults in Medicaid work requirements would weaken the health insurance safety net, he said.
The change comes amid a broader consumer struggle over affordability and as historically large numbers of Americans reach retirement age.
The Medicaid and SNAP changes will help finance the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s tax breaks for consumers and businesses. The Tax Foundation estimates that the law could save individuals $129 billion in taxes in 2025.
The Congressional Budget Office projects that the bill would reduce Medicaid spending by more than $900 billion by 2034, with $325 billion of that coming from new work requirements.
CBO projects that the law’s change to SNAP would result in savings of $186.7 billion by 2034, 37% of which would come from modified work requirements.
But these savings strategies are expected to exclude millions of Americans from these programs, including older Americans.
How new Medicaid cuts will affect older workers
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Before President Trump’s bill, federal law prohibited work requirements for Medicaid, but some states have moved to introduce their own rules, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health policy, research, polling and media organization.
The new work requirements apply to 43 states, according to KFF. The provisions of this law primarily apply to states enrolled in the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.
Under the law, individuals between the ages of 19 and 64 must work at least 80 hours a month or participate in qualifying activities to qualify for Medicaid. However, certain individuals may be exempt from these requirements, such as those with qualifying health conditions and parents of children under 13.
CBO estimates that these changes could leave about 5.3 million more people uninsured.
Alice Burns, KFF’s associate director of Medicaid and uninsured programs, said the work requirement does not apply to people over 65, so it will affect those who choose to retire before that age.
About 11% of Medicaid enrollees between the ages of 50 and 64 are already retired, Burns said.
“What we’re really looking forward to here is that if they want to maintain their Medicaid coverage, they come out of retirement and go back to work to meet these work requirements,” she said.
Burns said about a quarter, or 24%, of people ages 50 to 64 currently receiving Medicaid do not meet work requirements due to illness, disability or caregiving and may qualify for a waiver. But she says it’s still unclear what people need to do to qualify.
Burns said those individuals would face administrative requirements, such as providing documentation of certain health conditions, but “it’s not clear how difficult it would be to report that.”
In Arkansas, efforts to implement Medicaid work requirements in 2018-2019 failed in large part because of administrative requirements to prove compliance, said Gideon Lukens, senior fellow and director of research and data analysis at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy organization.
Lukens said 95% of Arkansas Medicaid enrollees subject to the requirement have complied by working or obtaining a waiver, but one in four still loses coverage.
That’s despite the fact that the state of Arkansas uses data to automatically exempt most eligible individuals from reporting their status.
“The vast majority of those who were not automatically exempt did not take the necessary steps to meet the documentary requirements,” Lukens said.
What the new SNAP rules mean for older Americans
Shoppers at a grocery store in Brooklyn on December 12, 2025.
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With the Big and Beautiful Bill becoming law, SNAP work requirements will apply to Americans up to age 64 who qualify as able-bodied individuals and do not live with dependent children.
The requirement limits individuals to three months of SNAP benefits every three years, unless they work more than 80 hours a month or qualify for an exemption, such as those with certain medical conditions or children under 14.
CBO estimates that 2.4 million people could lose insurance in a typical month due to changes in SNAP laws.
Ed Bolen, CBPP’s director of SNAP state strategies, said the new requirements may present challenges for older workers who don’t qualify for the exemption due to a physical condition, but may still face challenges when working, especially in low-wage jobs that may require physical labor.
Bolen said older adults may not feel comfortable using tools to upload documents via phone or computer. There may also be emotional hurdles to overcome if you feel like you shouldn’t seek help, she said.
“There could be some additional complications that could cause people to just give up or feel like they’re not eligible for SNAP,” Bolen said.
How does Congress change policy?
It will largely be up to states to phase in new Medicaid and SNAP changes.
But the Urban Institute’s Smallgan said the federal government could make further changes.
“Major legislation often receives amendments a year or two later,” he said.
As the impact of new Medicaid and SNAP work requirements on older adults becomes clearer, “we’ll be able to step back and say this was a mistake,” Smallgan said.
— This article was written with support from the Gerontological Society of America, the Intergenerational Journalists Network, and the NIHCM Foundation Journalism Fellowship.
