New Kansas Legislation and Its Impacts on Medicaid and SNAP

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New Kansas Legislation and Its Impacts on Medicaid and SNAP

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Kansas lawmakers recently passed legislation that makes changes in how Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are administered, including eligibility verification processes, among others. These changes come as federal policy is also evolving. In July 2025, Congress passed and the President signed H.R. 1, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which includes changes to eligibility verification, work requirements and administrative procedures for Medicaid and SNAP. As federal policies are implemented, Kansas and other states are considering how to address new federal requirements.

Senate Bill (SB) 363, introduced on Jan. 22, 2026, was heard in the Senate Committee on Governmental Efficiency and passed by the Senate on March 5, 2026, on a vote of 25-12. The bill was then referred to the House, where the House Committee on Welfare Reform held hearings and advanced the bill as amended on March 18, 2026. In conference committee, the bill was assigned House Bill (HB) 2731, and following negotiations, the conference committee report was adopted, and HB 2731 was passed by the legislature.

Governor Kelly vetoed HB 2731, but it was ultimately overridden and will become law on July 1. Given the passage of this legislation, it is important to understand the proposed changes to KanCare and SNAP policies and their potential impacts.

About Medicaid

• In Kansas, Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is known as KanCare.
• Currently, Kansas offers Medicaid to certain groups, such as low-income parents, pregnant women, people with disabilities, children and seniors. In fiscal year (FY) 2025, average monthly enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP was 439,901 Kansans.
• Kansas has not adopted Medicaid expansion. As a result, most adults without dependent children are not eligible for Medicaid in Kansas, regardless of income, including those with no income.

About SNAP

• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest federal nutrition assistance program and provides monthly food benefits to eligible low-income households to help purchase groceries. SNAP is funded by the federal government and administered by states. In Kansas, the program is administered by the Kansas Department for Children and Families.
• In FY 2025, 188,271 Kansans participated in SNAP, and Kansas households received a total of $402.6 million in benefits. The average monthly benefit was $178 per household member. Nationally, about 42 million people participated in SNAP in FY 2025.

How HB 2731 Compares With Federal Medicaid and SNAP Changes in H.R. 1

Some provisions in HB 2731, including new requirements affecting Medicaid and SNAP, reflect broader federal policy changes enacted in H.R. 1. However, some provisions go beyond federal requirements or take a different policy approach.

One key assertion made by the sole proponent, who was from the Federation for Government Accountability (FGA), was that the bill aligns state policies with the provisions found in H.R. 1. Several opponents who testified raised concerns about administrative complexity, potential impacts on beneficiaries and potential conflicts with federal program rules.

Figure 1 summarizes how HB 2731 aligns with federal policy changes in H.R. 1.

Figure 1. Comparing Kansas HB 2731 to Federal Changes in H.R. 1

Changes Applicable to Medicaid and SNAP

Changes Applicable to Medicaid Only

Changes Applicable to SNAP Only

Notes: "Aligns with H.R. 1" indicates the proposed state policy is consistent with the federal changes in H.R 1. "Not Included in H.R. 1" indicates H.R. 1 did not have a comparable provision.

Source: Kansas Health Institute analysis of key provisions in HB 2731 and H.R. 1.

What Does HB 2731 Mean for Medicaid and SNAP in Kansas?

Taken together, the provisions in HB 2731 reflect a shift toward more structured eligibility verification and program oversight, with implications for both administrative processes and beneficiaries. For Kansas, implementation will require coordination across agencies and updates to systems and workflows. Officials from the agencies that administer these programs, including the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) and the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) provided neutral testimony during committee hearings. They focused on implementation considerations, potential administrative costs and alignment with federal program requirements. The following sections highlight the major provisions as reflected in the final version of HB 2731.

Establishing Continuous Coverage for Additional Groups in Medicaid

HB 2731 directs KDHE, in coordination with KDADS, to seek federal approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish continuous Medicaid coverage for individuals with documented permanent intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) receiving home and community-based services (HCBS). If federal approval is not granted, KDHE and KDADS shall report to the Legislature regarding barriers to approval, alternative administrative options to improve eligibility continuity, and estimated fiscal and administrative impacts of alternative approaches.

H.R. 1 did not include provisions related to expanding continuous coverage for Medicaid populations, including individuals receiving HCBS services.

What is Continuous Medicaid Coverage? Continuous coverage (also referred to as continuous eligibility) allows certain Medicaid populations to remain enrolled for a defined period of time, even if their income temporarily exceeds eligibility limits. For those without continuous coverage, most Medicaid enrollees lose coverage as soon as they are determined to no longer meet eligibility requirements. Under current federal law, continuous coverage applies to the following groups:

• Children under age 19 - The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 required all states to implement 12-month continuous eligibility for children beginning Jan. 1, 2024.

• Pregnant and postpartum individuals - Coverage extends through pregnancy and for 12 months after birth; this is a state option adopted by Kansas.

• Former foster youth up to age 26 - This is a federally required eligibility category under the Affordable Care Act.

Potential Impacts

During testimony on March 12, KDHE officials stated that CMS had advised the agency in a July 2025 letter that it will no longer approve continuous coverage for any population not included in existing federal regulations. They also testified that developing a Section 1115 demonstration waiver could require one to three years of staff time depending on the complexity of the proposal and federal review timelines. KDHE officials also clarified that the agency's testimony did not reflect opposition to continuous eligibility for this population as a policy matter but rather concern about committing significant staff capacity to an application CMS has indicated it would not approve.

Requiring Expanded Data Matching Procedures for Medicaid and SNAP Eligibility

HB 2731 also includes provisions related to Medicaid and SNAP eligibility verifications by expanding data matching across state agencies and federal systems. It requires DCF and KDHE to compare applicant and enrollee information with several state data sources to identify changes that may affect eligibility. When an enrollee is determined to be noncompliant with requirements or ineligible for food assistance or medical assistance, the enrollee must be provided a 30-day notice of such noncompliance or ineligibility prior to being disenrolled from food assistance or medical assistance. Required data matches include:

• Office of Vital Statistics: Monthly checks to identify deaths.

• Kansas Department of Labor: Quarterly checks for employment or wage changes.

• Department of Corrections: Monthly checks to identify incarceration status.

• Kansas Lottery and Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission: Monthly data to identify individuals or households with lottery or gambling winnings of $3,000 or more.

• Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) Transactions: Monthly checks to identify possible out-of-state residency.

HB 2731 also requires KDHE, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, to conduct quarterly checks to identify deceased Medicaid enrollees and terminate coverage if individuals are found to be deceased. As noted above, the bill requires monthly data checks of death records with the Office of Vital Statistics. This somewhat aligns with program provisions in OBBBA, which require quarterly checks for deceased Medicaid beneficiaries beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and for deceased providers beginning Jan. 1, 2028.

H.R. 1 also directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a national system to identify duplicate Medicaid enrollment across states, with states required to submit data and address duplicate enrollment beginning Oct. 1, 2029. HB 2731 requires KDHE to submit Medicaid enrollment data monthly beginning Jan. 1, 2027, using specified state data sources, which is earlier and more prescriptive than the federal timeline.

Potential Impacts

The data matching provisions included in HB 2731 will increase administrative activity related to eligibility monitoring and may lead to more frequent eligibility reviews when potential changes in circumstances are identified. DCF officials indicated that new and expanded data matches will require system updates and additional case reviews, while KDHE officials noted that additional staff will be needed to perform the required checks. In addition, they explained that because eligibility actions cannot be taken solely based on a data match, staff will likely need to manually review cases and request verification when discrepancies occur.

Prohibiting Self Attestation to Receive Kansas Medicaid and SNAP Benefits

HB 2731 also limits the use of self-attestation when determining eligibility for public assistance programs administered by DCF and KDHE, including Medicaid, SNAP, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the child care subsidy program. Currently, Medicaid and other public assistance programs may accept self-attestation for certain eligibility factors when electronic data sources are unavailable or when information is considered reasonably compatible with available data. In some cases, verification may occur after enrollment if documentation is not immediately available. HB 2731 requires verification of these factors before eligibility is approved.

Applicants will need to provide verification of certain information before enrollment, rather than relying on their own statements alone. These factors include:

• Income

• Residency

• Household composition

• Age

• Caretaker relative status

• Receipt of other health coverage

During the hearing in the House Welfare Reform Committee on SB 363, which had been passed by the Senate, state agency officials expressed concerns that limiting self-attestation could increase administrative burden, delay processing of applications and create conflicts with federal requirements. Specifically, they noted that some information, such as the number of individuals who live in a household, may not have reliable documentation for verification. The Committee amended SB 363, the bill passed by the Senate, to remove that requirement, but during conference committee negotiations, the requirement was added back into the final version of HB 2731.

Finally, the bill directs the agencies not to seek federal authority to waive or decline to check available income-related data sources when verifying eligibility for these programs. H.R. 1 does not broadly prohibit the use of self-attestation for eligibility factors in the same way as HB 2731.

Potential Impacts

The verification requirements in HB 2731 will likely increase administrative workload for eligibility workers and require applicants to provide additional documentation when applying for or renewing benefits. While the changes will reduce reliance on self-reported information, they may also lengthen processing times or delay enrollment if documentation is not readily available. KDHE officials indicated limiting the use of self-attestation could affect the timeliness of eligibility determinations relative to the federal 45-day standard and may have implications for program oversight metrics, including the state's Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) rate, which measures improper payments in Medicaid often due to administrative or documentation issues. DCF officials estimated the additional verification and data comparisons could increase the risk of delayed eligibility determinations, increase SNAP eligibility workload, and require additional staff to comply with provisions in the bill.

Conclusion

HB 2731 makes several changes to Medicaid and SNAP administration in Kansas. Some provisions align with recent federal policy changes in H.R. 1, while others reflect state-specific policy choices. Understanding the potential impacts of the bill remains important as agencies implement these changes alongside ongoing federal implementation of H.R. 1.