RESOLUTION NO. 260972
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Sponsor: Councilmember Melissa Robinson
RESOLUTION - Expressing the City Council’s support of the Stay Covered KC community retention campaign and its work to help Kansas City MO HealthNet enrollees maintain their Medicaid coverage under Missouri’s new renewal and community engagement requirements.
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WHEREAS, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduced the most significant overhaul of Missouri Medicaid renewal requirements in a generation; and
WHEREAS, effective January 1, 2027, adults ages 19 to 64 in MO HealthNet’s Adult Expansion Group - those with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level - must demonstrate 80 hours per month of qualifying community engagement activity and comply with a new semi-annual renewal cycle, down from the previous annual renewal; and
WHEREAS, without targeted community support, thousands of currently covered Kansas City residents stand to lose MO HealthNet coverage not because they are ineligible, but because of preventable procedural failures such as missed mail, outdated addresses on file, unawareness of qualifying activities, and unawareness that they may be entirely exempt from the work requirement; and
WHEREAS, Stay Covered KC is a community-driven retention campaign dedicated to helping every Kansas City MO HealthNet enrollee understand, respond to, and comply with these new requirements so they do not lose coverage they already have and depend on, protecting the coverage of current enrollees rather than enrolling new members; and
WHEREAS, Stay Covered KC advances this mission through a 14-point community retention strategy delivered through trusted Kansas City channels, including trained community navigators, proactive address-update canvassing, plain-language exemption screening, work requirement compliance education, My DSS App digital literacy training, multilingual materials, and fair hearing appeals support; and
WHEREAS, the continuity of health coverage for Kansas City residents advances the health, stability, and well-being of the City’s families and neighborhoods, and the City Council desires to support efforts that prevent avoidable loss of coverage among its residents; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
That the Mayor and Council hereby express their support for the Stay Covered KC campaign and its work to help Kansas City MO HealthNet enrollees maintain their Medicaid coverage under Missouri’s new renewal and community engagement requirements.
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