Navigators help people enroll in Medicaid and insurance on the federal marketplace. Federal funding cuts by the Trump administration mean Kansas will have fewer navigators.
Kansans are uninsured at a rate higher than the rest of the country for a third straight year, but the effects of Medicaid “unwinding” have yet to be seen, recent U.S. Census Bureau data shows.
A record 171,000 Kansans enrolled this year in the subsidized health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, but the expiration of tax credits lowering premium costs is likely to slash enrollment in 2026.
Gov. Laura Kelly unveiled Thursday her proposal for a Medicaid expansion package that includes a work requirement, revenue streams to offset the state’s cost, abortion restrictions, and other provisions to address concerns raised by opponents.
Navigators with Cover Kansas will be available in the Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health lobby Thursday to help people sign up for coverage through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.
Kansas has fallen behind national health insurance trends for the second year in a row, with thousands of state residents falling into a health care coverage gap.
A Kansas advocacy organization said state records indicated children comprised two-thirds of the 45,000 people who have lost Medicaid coverage for procedural reasons since the restart in April of eligibility assessments halted during the COVID-19 emergency.
An early detection program provides breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment to uninsured people. Yet potentially hundreds of other Kansans diagnosed with other types of cancer remain without coverage.
Kansans should continue to seek preventive care — things like cancer screenings — despite a court ruling Thursday that could let insurance companies off the hook on paying for that care, say health policy experts and advocacy groups.
With federal “continuous coverage” Medicaid protections ending, thousands of Kansans are expected to be dropped from medical programs in the coming months.
