Nebraska has denied 1,090 Medicaid applications and renewals under work requirements

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - More than 1,000 Medicaid applications and renewals have been denied since Nebraska started its work requirements six months ago, according to new data from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Families and advocates gathered at a town hall in Omaha, where some said getting answers from the state is part of the problem.

State data shows 1,090 denials

From May through August, 557 new Medicaid applications were denied under the requirements. In July and August, another 533 renewals were denied. That totals 1,090. The Department of Health and Human Services, or DHHS, confirmed the numbers are correct.

Of those denials, 956 were because the person did not respond to a notice asking them to prove they met the requirement. The data does not say why they did not respond.

Residents describe their experiences

Cheri Stollar of Lincoln said she put off health care for years because she could not afford it. In 2023, she said, the pain got so bad she went to the emergency room.

Stollar said the hospital waived its bill, but the ER doctor and the anesthesiologist were different.

“I ended up having filed bankruptcy on those medical bills,” Stollar said.

Stollar now has Medicaid and said it has changed her life. She said she wants lawmakers to know what is at stake.

“So, I just want the lawmakers to understand how crucial access to health care is for everybody, you know,” Stollar said.

Chanel Morrow is helping a family member through the disability exemption process under the work requirements. When Medicaid did not cover a prescription, with no explanation, Morrow stepped in.

“So I helped them call the call center. They were on hold for about an hour and a half, transferred to the wrong department, and then in the midst of being transferred to the correct department, the call disconnected,” Morrow said.

“There’s no compassion in this policy. And I think that we have to bring that back because access to health care is a basic human right,” Morrow said.

Nebraska Appleseed and DHHS respond

Nebraska Appleseed, the group that hosted the town hall, said it is hearing similar stories.

“But when they call the state, we’ve been hearing stories of two-hour-plus long call center wait times. And then people are just getting disconnected,” said Sarah Maresh, health care access program director at Nebraska Appleseed.

DHHS was asked about the long phone waits. In a written statement, the department pointed to added workload from SNAP verification and said it is hiring. The department did not say how long callers are waiting now.

“DHHS is aggressively recruiting and hiring staff. This will soon alleviate workloads, improve processing times, and reduce call volume and wait times.”

Maresh said she hopes the state follows through.

“Yeah. You know, I really hope that they do staff up because we’ve been saying that all along,” Maresh said.

DHHS also said people who did not respond to the notice still have time to act.

“Individuals who did not provide work requirements information in response to the Verification of Compliance Notice may provide the relevant information within 90 days after their application is denied … or their benefits are closed (at renewal), without needing to submit a new application."

For Community Assistance:

Nebraska Appleseed runs a community assistance line for anyone who has lost coverage or has questions.