Sharp Increase in the Number of Young Uninsured Kansas Kids

Heather Braum | June 24, 2026

In a reversal of years of progress, more Kansas infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are going without health insurance, according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF). It’s a troubling trend that puts young children’s health and development at risk while adding financial stress for families already stretched thin by rising costs. 

The analysis revealed that nearly 15,000 children under 6 were uninsured in Kansas in 2024, which has nearly doubled from the 7,900 children under 6 who were uninsured in 2022. That’s an 87% increase over just two years. 

No other state saw such a high percentage increase during that time period. While neighboring states — Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, and Nebraska — also saw increases in their numbers of uninsured young children, their changes were nowhere as high as Kansas.  

More recent Medicaid/CHIP enrollment data adds to the concern. Georgetown CCF’s Medicaid and CHIP enrollment tracker has recorded more than 12,500 fewer children (ages 0-18) enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP since January 2025 in Kansas. 

This is an alarming trend, especially as the data analyzed comes from before recent federal policy changes that cut funding for or created additional barriers to accessing public insurance options for children. Sadly, this could mean even more children – particularly the youngest ones – will be uninsured in the very near future.  

The CCF report findings highlight what’s at stake for our youngest children: 

• More children are losing coverage, with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers seeing sharper coverage losses than older children.
  
  
• Coverage protects families from rising costs. Health insurance helps families afford care, avoid medical debt, and give young children a healthier, more stable start. 
  
  
• Without action, more children could lose coverage due to Medicaid cuts and new administrative hurdles that make it harder for families to get and keep health insurance for their children. 

Research shows that Medicaid coverage for children is linked to better access to care and improved health, educational, and economic outcomes in adulthood. Access to health care is especially important for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, who require frequent visits to the doctor during their earliest years of life. 

When young children are insured, families have a better chance of detecting developmental delays and other health issues that can affect a child’s ability to learn. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 12 checkups by the time a toddler turns 3, helping ensure children are developing properly and receiving the preventive care they need. If families are unable to afford these checkups – and the additional follow-up medical care that could come from them – their children may have developmental issues that will never be addressed at a point-in-time when outcomes could be altered.  

This increase in uninsured young children is a real warning sign—but it’s preventable. We can reverse this trend by making it easier for eligible children to enroll in and stay covered with health insurance through several ways:  

• Reducing barriers families face in enrolling and renewing Medicaid and CHIP coverage; 
  
  
• Analyzing how children who were born with Medicaid coverage are accessing health insurance after their first birthday; 
  
  
• Analyzing state agency data for young kids losing their Medicaid and CHIP coverage and targeting outreach if patterns emerge;  
  
  
• Seeking potential pathways to make private insurance more affordable for the youngest kids; and  
  
  
• Dramatically increasing outreach and awareness of insurance coverage options for young Kansas families through the spaces they regularly encounter, such as child care centers, preschools, health offices, and community gathering spaces.  

We can all agree that no child should have to go without health care coverage and access.  

Kansas must investigate why this data trend is headed in the wrong direction and implement policies that make sure families can acquire affordable and accessible health insurance, particularly during their child’s first few years of life. We must work together to find solutions to ensure every Kansas kid has what they need to grow up healthy and thrive. That is a goal that everyone can work together for. 

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