Refugees and immigrants in Nebraska lose Medicaid under new federal law, raising their healthcare costs

OMAHA, Neb. —

Many refugees and immigrants across Nebraska lost Medicaid coverage as of Oct. 1 under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, driving up healthcare costs for those affected and increasing demand on local services.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services estimates roughly 1,000 people are affected. Notices for cases closed as of Oct. 1, 2026, were sent before Sept. 18, 2026.

A few minutes away from the Center for Immigration and Refugee Advancement, Peter Karanja serves as a pastor at the Hanscom Park United Methodist Church.

Another part of his job is running the All People's Pantry, which supplies neighbors with food from other countries and cultures.

Keeping it running is a lot of work.

"One food event normally costs of 10 to 12 thousand dollars, and that's when people are more generous," Karanja said.

And need for help keeps rising. Aside from the rising cost of gas and groceries, Medicaid eligibility for refugees and immigrants across Nebraska was sharply cut as of Oct. 1 as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Karanja says he sees increasing demand for food from different cultures.

"It was just surprising because there was so much need. We were done in less than 2 hours and there were more than 200 families that drove through and picked up food," Karanja said.

Der Yang runs refugee services at the Center for Immigration and Refugee Advancement. She fears increased healthcare costs could significantly affect immigrant and refugee families.

"And with the loss of Medicaid trying to get anywhere near or anywhere near self efficiency is really impossible now because you can't really put a cost on how much healthcare is going to cost," Yang said.

She also says it could quickly become a safety issue.

"I mean this is taking a fatal turn because people can't afford to see a doctor," Yang said.

Yang tells me she expects these difficulties to compound as time goes on.

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