States have until 2027 to implement work requirements in their Medicaid programs, so it might be tempting to wait for more guidance from the federal government before moving forward.

But states shouldn’t delay given the Herculean scale of the task, experts said Thursday during a meeting of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, an influential group that advises Congress on Medicaid policy.

“Time is a-wasting already,” said Jessica Kahn, a partner at consultancy McKinsey who specializes in state Medicaid and social services programs.

Changes to Medicaid in the the GOP’s sweeping tax and policy law passed in July have been characterized as the greatest overhaul to the safety-net insurance program in its 60-year history.

Perhaps the most significant policy in the law is a ma

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