Losing health coverage does not just affect one doctor visit. It often means people wait longer to get care, miss preventive care, get sicker before they seek help, and end up in more costly crisis care, including emergency room visits for non-emergency situations.
That matters for families, but it also matters for communities and for the long-term cost of care. When people lose coverage, problems that could have been treated early often become more serious and more expensive.
For many families, the problem is not that they do not qualify for help. The problem is that the system becomes harder to use.
A new report from the Urban Institute, shared by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, warns that new Medicaid work rules and six-month eligibility checks could cause millions of people to lose health coverage, including thousands here in Kansas.
What the Report Projects
The report says Medicaid expansion enrollment could drop by 4.9 million to 10.1 million people each month in 2028.
Using population share as a rough estimate, that could mean:
- 42,800 to 88,200 Kansans losing coverage
- 2,564 to 5,284 people in Shawnee County losing coverage
That would be a 27% to 55% drop.
The report also says:
- Six-month eligibility checks alone could reduce coverage by 2.0 to 3.1 million people. That would be about 17,500 to 27,100 Kansans and 1,046 to 1,621 people in Shawnee County using the same rough estimate.
- Work requirements alone could reduce coverage by another 3.0 to 7.0 million people. That would be about 26,200 to 61,100 Kansans and 1,569 to 3,667 people in Shawnee County using the same rough estimate.
- Even in the strongest setup, millions of people are still expected to lose coverage.
- People with changing work hours, self-employment, caregiving duties, and health needs face some of the biggest risks.
What That Means
This matters because many people do not lose help because they do not need it.
They lose help because the system gets harder to use.
Forms can be confusing. Deadlines can be missed. Offices may be hard to reach. Work hours can change. Transportation can be limited. Internet access can be spotty. Families can be asked to prove the same thing again and again.
The report also says these new rules do not come with new help for barriers like transportation, unstable housing, or limited job access.
That means many families will be asked to do more without getting the extra support they need.
Why This Matters to SENT
This connects closely to SENT’s work with mRelief to help Kansans keep their SNAP benefits.
At SENT, we know a simple truth: availability does not always lead to access, and need does not always lead to support.
A family can qualify for help and still lose it because the process is too hard to manage.
That is why SENT’s work matters.
Through the Family Resource Center, community liaisons, Neighbor Advocates, Community Health Workers, transportation support, and pantry-to-services pathways, SENT helps close the gap between qualifying for help and actually keeping that help.
The mRelief partnership is part of that work. It helps families hold on to food support at a time when benefit systems are getting harder to navigate.
How Workforce Development Helps Bridge the Gap
SENT’s workforce development pathways also help bridge this gap.
In Southeast Topeka, the challenge is not just finding work. The U.S. Census OnTheMap tool notes that about 72% of jobs in the area are in low- or moderate-wage categories. That means many people are working, but still struggling.
SENT’s workforce programs help people move toward stronger and more stable work. That includes youth workforce preparation through Level Up, skilled trades and construction pathways, Community Health Worker training, apprenticeships, and other growing opportunities.
These pathways matter because benefits stability is often tied to work hours, income changes, reporting deadlines, transportation, and access to support.
Workforce development does not solve every problem, but it helps families build steadier income, stronger skills, and better long-term stability. It is one more way SENT helps people move from surviving to stabilizing.
SENT’s Role in This Moment
SENT believes policy matters.
We should support policy that is fair, clear, and easier for families to navigate. We should speak up when rules create barriers for people who are already working hard to care for themselves and their families.
But SENT also believes we cannot stop at advocacy alone.
We also have a role in building practical solutions for the reality families are facing right now.
That means helping people understand what is required. It means helping families connect with benefits and, more and more, helping them stay connected to those benefits as rules change. It means reducing transportation barriers, building trust, and walking with people through systems that are often hard to use.
In this moment, both things matter:
- advocating for better policy
- building real solutions for families right now
That is why this work matters. And that is why the mRelief partnership matters too.
When rules get harder, the burden does not disappear. It falls on families and on trusted groups in the community. SENT believes in doing both: speaking up for better systems and building real help for people right now.
Sources
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Millions Could Lose Health Coverage Due to New Rules (March 2026). https://www.rwjf.org/en/insights/our-research/2026/03/millions-could-lose-health-coverage-due-to-new-rules.html?rid=003VN00000mFN0hYAG&et_cid=2200857
- SENT Inc. Press Release: SENT Inc. and mRelief Announce an Impactful New Collaboration to Help Kansans Keep Their SNAP Benefits (March 20, 2026). https://senttopeka.com/2026/03/20/press-release-sent-inc-and-mrelief-announce-an-impactful-new-collaboration-to-help-kansans-keep-their-snap-benefits/
- SENT Inc. Workforce Development. https://senttopeka.com/education/workforce-development/