Nebraska For Us, experts lead discussion on SNAP & Medicaid cuts as enrollment drops

OMAHA, Nebraska (September 30, 2026)—With SNAP and now Medicaid cuts well in full swing in the state, Nebraska For Us hosted a panel of experts on the two programs Wednesday, along with those who have been impacted by these programs and the associated cuts. SNAP enrollment in Nebraska has fallen by 26% in the past year while Medicaid cuts are just beginning to ramp up. In August, Medicaid enrollment dropped by about 2,300 and is expected to fall further in the months ahead.

The panel of experts and impacted Nebraskans focused on the consequences of these cuts that are just beginning to be felt, just as yet another round of Medicaid cuts will take effect in Nebraska on Thursday.

“My reaction is shock and horror at these numbers,” said Eric Savaiano, Food and Nutrition Access Program Manager at Nebraska Appleseed. “It equates to 40,000 people in Nebraska, alone, who have lost SNAP. That’s a little more than the entire city of Kearney. We see the slope going down with no end in sight. There are many new faces at food distribution sites as support is taken away.”

“Cuts to Medicaid in Nebraska are only just beginning,” OpenSky Policy Institute Policy Analyst Trevor Toteve said. “We are nowhere near being done with Medicaid cuts hitting Nebraska. We are looking at 10 years of Medicaid cuts here, and there is already broad confusion behind the policy from enrollees.”

In 2025, Congressmen Don Bacon and Mike Flood voted to cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and hundreds of billions of dollars from the SNAP program. Despite these cuts, members of our community will still need medical care and food to eat.

“It is very hard to see these additional changes to Medicaid that Nebraskans did not vote for,” Medicaid recipient Amanda Gershon said. “When you talk about four or five hour waits on the phone, I literally had to stay on hold for that amount of time just to fix benefits that I qualify for. I have been without my SNAP and Medicaid benefits for two months now. I do not know what the state needs from me, and I have been at this for 13 years. Friends and family are trying to help me, but they are struggling, too.”

“Two of my grandkids, ages 5 and 6, were dropped from Medicaid on August 1,” Medicaid advocate Audrey Horn said. “There are so many people who do not realize how far reaching the Republican Tax Law is. Additionally, our ACA premium went up nearly $700 a month for 2026, and I am worried about what’s to come with open enrollment for our health insurance.”

“People are having to make very difficult decisions about their everyday lives as a result of these cuts, and the anxiety seems to be growing in our community,” Nebraska For Us State Director Angie Lauritsen said. “Prices keep soaring across the board, and cuts to food and medical assistance will not take away the needs of Nebraskans. If anything, it will make the problem worse.”

Nebraska For Us offers these virtual discussions as a community service. A full video of the roundtable can be found here.