Under the Same Sky featuring Jessica Kahn
Jessica Kahn, Partner, McKinsey based out of Washington, D.C.
Getting Medicaid Work Requirements Right: Insights from Jess Kahn
GroundGame.Health recently wrapped up its five-part series focused on Medicaid Work Requirements with a powerful conversation between Abner Mason and Jess Kahn, a national expert on Medicaid technology and policy. As states prepare to implement new Medicaid work requirements, Jess shared practical advice drawn from her decades of experience in state and federal government and in her current role as a partner at McKinsey.
Why This Matters
Rolling out work requirements is more than a policy challenge, it’s an operational and technological one. Jess emphasized that success hinges on three key factors:
Focus on Implementation Excellence: Work requirements are “20% policy and 80% IT, data, and process.” States must define a minimum viable product and invest in strong governance, milestones, and KPIs to ensure smooth execution.
Engage in True Partnership: CMS wants states to succeed. Jess urged state leaders to proactively engage with federal partners, share their vision, and ask for what they need without relinquishing their power as implementers.
Invest in People and Technology: Beyond updating legacy eligibility systems, states should explore modern, modular solutions such as SaaS tools for income verification, that can reduce complexity and improve program integrity across multiple benefit programs.
Opportunities Ahead
While timelines are tight, Jess sees potential for broader gains such as better automated income verification, stronger program integrity, and even pathways to connect beneficiaries with job training and economic opportunities.
Her final advice? Treat this as an interdisciplinary effort, appoint a single accountable leader, and lean on the Medicaid community for support. “Medicaid is a family,” Jess reminded us. Collaboration and shared learning will be critical to getting this right.
Looking for additional resources?
Visit our Redetermination and Work Requirements Center of Excellence for additional thought leadership and to learn more about how GroundGame.Health is helping to solve this challenge.
