LINCOLN — The website of the state agency that oversees public health insurance for low-income Nebraskans will “undergo maintenance” starting Friday night, and brief outages could occur over the weekend.
The possible service interruption comes as the state launches new work, volunteer or education requirements for some Medicaid recipients, a shift that watchdog groups fear will cause confusion and coverage loss for potentially tens of thousands of Nebraskans.
During a news conference Wednesday, critics called the timing of the website maintenance for the state Department of Health and Human Services yet another example of what they contend is Nebraska’s ill-planned and “rushed” approach to implementing changes — eight months ahead of the federal deadline.
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Friday, Nebraska becomes the first state to implement work and community engagement requirements called for in President Donald Trump’s tax and policy changes package Congress passed in 2025. While federal law set a January 2027 deadline for implementation, Gov. Jim Pillen has laid out an accelerated timeline for Nebraska.
Organizations including Nebraska Appleseed, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and Families USA led the Wednesday news teleconference to reiterate concerns.
They said researchers estimate that between 28,000 and 41,000 Nebraskans will lose coverage when the requirements are put into place. Appleseed’s Sarah Maresh believes other Medicaid recipients also will be impacted as DHHS staff takes on the additional work.
‘Red tape, bureaucracy’
The new requirements apply to work-eligible adults, ages 19 to 64, who are enrolled through the Medicaid expansion program. They must show they’re working or performing community service at least 80 hours a month or that they are enrolled in school at least half-time. Exemptions exist for people with serious medical conditions or who are full-time caregivers.
Megan Word, Nebraska government relations director for the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, said the state’s early implementation and federal “red tape and bureaucracy” barriers put Nebraskans with serious health conditions at risk by “making it harder” to access health care coverage and preventative cancer screenings.
“These new requirements will mean Nebraskans will live sicker and die sooner — and that’s not what we stand for,” said Word.
In a statement Wednesday, Nebraska DHHS defended the state’s approach. It said the state’s strategy reflects Pillen’s focus on promoting self-sufficiency and “helping Nebraskans live their best lives.”
The Nebraska Medicaid team will implement work requirements in a “phased and operationally controlled manner,” the agency said, noting that no one would lose coverage on Day One.
About 72,000 Nebraskans enrolled in Medicaid expansion are subject to the new work requirements and are to be reevaluated. That’s out of a total population receiving Medicaid benefits of 336,000 as of February, DHHS said.
Maresh, health care access program director for Nebraska Appleseed, said during the news conference that no new funding or staffing has been appropriated for outreach and that many recipients at risk of losing insurance don’t know the change is coming.
“We’re very nervous to see what this lack of investment means for Nebraska,” Maresh said.
To that, DHHS said: “We want to be direct: Nebraska has made a substantial and sustained effort to reach every Medicaid expansion member through multiple channels, and that work began months before the May 1 implementation date.”
‘Getting this right’
In December, the agency said it sent individual notices by mail to each Medicaid expansion enrollee, informing them of new requirements. The agency said it also texted or emailed follow-up notices to those listing an electronic communication preference.
Recognizing that not all notices are likely received or understood, DHHS said it has had ongoing engagement with community partners and social service agencies who work with Medicaid recipients.
DHHS said other safeguards are in place and that it is “committed to getting this right.”
“No one loses coverage without an opportunity to demonstrate they meet the requirements,” the statement said.
Of DHHS website work scheduled this weekend, officials called it routine software maintenance.
“If an outage occurs, it will only last a few minutes,” the statement said.
Maresh and other critics say changes require updates to IT systems, streamlining of data sharing across various agencies and coordination with Medicaid managed area plans. They said Nebraska does not have the benefit of “comprehensive guidance” from the Trump administration.
DHHS confirmed that no new staff was hired to support the work requirement implementation. Current team members, it said, have “foundational expertise” to absorb the additional work and have received training.
The Medicaid and other safety net changes called for in the package Trump called “big and beautiful” aim to offset the costs of a domestic agenda that includes increased spending on immigration enforcement and tax cuts that primarily benefit high earners.
Pillen, in announcing Nebraska’s accelerated timeline in December with Dr. Mehmet Oz, framed the requirements as a way to “prevent generational poverty in Nebraska.” Oz, who appeared virtually, is administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
‘Hand up and not a hand out’
Pillen said the state’s strategy promoted a “hand up and not a hand out.”
“We’re not here to take everybody to the curb … [but] making sure we get every able-bodied Nebraskan to be part of our community,” the governor said then.
Schmeeka Simpson, a Nebraska mom of three who works multiple jobs and is a Medicaid recipient, said many people on Medicaid already work.
“So this policy is not addressing laziness. It’s actually adding pressure to people who are already stretched thin,” she said.
This story is provided by States Newsroom, a nonprofit state news network and Blox Digital content partner.
