Attorney General James Protects Medicaid Coverage for Vulnerable New Yorkers

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today released the following statement after winning a major victory blocking the Trump administration from potentially taking Medicaid coverage away from many New Yorkers with serious medical conditions:

“New Yorkers who are living with cancer, a disability, a serious mental health condition, or addiction should never have to prove they are sick enough to keep their health care. The more barriers to coverage there are, the less healthy our communities become. I am pleased to have secured this potentially life-saving relief for some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers.”

Attorney General James and a coalition of 24 other states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in June 2026 challenging the new rule that required some “medically frail” Medicaid recipients to jump through burdensome administrative hoops to prove they were sick enough to justify that designation.

Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted the motion for summary judgment, declaring a central provision of the new, more restrictive definition of “medical frailty” illegal and ensuring many vulnerable New Yorkers remain eligible for Medicaid.