Residents and service providers urge Kent County to prioritize Medicaid and SNAP ahead of HR1 changes

Members of Kent County's health and anti-hunger networks pressed the Policy & Operations Committee on April 28 to make protecting Medicaid and SNAP access a top legislative priority as federal changes known as HR1 begin to roll out.

Megan Erskin, CEO of Katherine's Health Center, told the committee Kent County has "a monthly average of almost 116,000 eligible Medicaid beneficiaries" and nearly 38,000 enrollees in the Healthy Michigan plan. She warned that "on January 1st, 2027, individuals enrolled in the Healthy Michigan plan will have to submit work requirements"—"80 hours a month of work requirements or 80 hours a month of volunteer requirements," and added: "work requirements do not mean that people have more access to health care. It just means that there's an administrative burden and people lose their health care."

Laura Barber, executive director of the Food Club Network, said more than 73,000 Kent County residents rely on SNAP and urged the commission to treat SNAP access as a legislative priority, arguing that "every single dollar in SNAP generates about $1.50 in economic activity" and that cuts would "ripple through our entire local economy." Barber said coordinated outreach and better resourcing of local DHS offices are needed to prevent coverage loss as eligibility or documentation rules change.

Amari Fuller of the Michigan League for Public Policy, speaking on behalf of the Kent County Medicaid task force, summarized HR1's reductions to Medicaid and SNAP and similarly urged the board to reduce enrollment barriers and advocate for state and federal support; Fuller noted Medicaid is the largest payer for behavioral health care and long-term services and covers more than a third of Michigan births.

Hana White, a nurse at St. Mary's, linked health and education outcomes to housing and coverage, saying increases in homelessness and the loss of Medicaid coverage will shift costs to hospitals and schools and worsen long-term outcomes for children and families.

The speakers asked the county to use its communications channels to increase public awareness, advocate to MDHHS for funding to support local DHHS offices through redetermination and work-requirement rollouts, and strengthen support for organizations that assist residents with applications and re-certifications. Committee members discussed adding language to the board'office'draft 2026 legislative priorities to emphasize resident impacts; the committee later voted to adopt the 2026 priorities and forward them to the full board.