Health
Feds expect more consumer choice in health reform insurance marketplace
Consumers in Missouri and Kansas should see more companies offering coverage through the health insurance marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act, according to preliminary estimates released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A report issued by the department, released in advance of the open enrollment period scheduled to run from…
Olathe Medical Center opens facility for final stage of life
Olathe Medical Center officials say they have added a building block to their vision of providing cradle-to-grave care. On Wednesday, in front of a crowd of about 300 donors, employees and other well-wishers, the hospital officially opened a freestanding inpatient hospice on its land at Interstate 35 and 151st Street. “In the early 1980s, when…
Missouri’s E-Cigarette veto override may lead to showdown with FDA
Call them e-cigarettes, vapes, e-juices or e-liquids. Just don’t call them tobacco. Early last Thursday, Missouri legislators overwhelmingly overrode the governor’s veto of a bill governing electronic cigarettes and the nicotine-infused mixtures they deliver. While the new law bans sales to minors, it also prevents e-cigarettes from being classified as “tobacco products.” “It was operating…
Early signs show promise for Rainbow Mental Health, officials say
A reconstituted mental health facility in Kansas City, Kan., has been a financial and therapeutic success in its first five months of operation, officials involved in the transition said Wednesday. “It’s great news so far,” said Kari Bruffett, secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), “and I think it’s only going…
Fresh food tax exemption on the table for Missouri lawmakers
Missouri lawmakers might sweeten the pot for consumers who want to eat healthy and for the growers who provide the food. Legislators return to Jefferson City today to reconsider nearly three dozen measures that Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed in this year’s regular session. The veto session could extend to Friday. One of the bills up…
Physician payment data puts costly eye treatments under the microscope
Correction appended Spritzing perfume is how Judy Johnson realized her eyesight had gone bad. At one point, diabetes had worsened her vision so much that the 69-year-old Lansing, Kan., resident had to squirt out a puff of her favorite scent just to find the opening in the mister. “I looked at it this morning,” Johnson…
New bus route addresses health needs of KCK residents
It was nearly a decade ago that the Rosedale Development Association, a nonprofit community improvement corporation, identified lack of transportation as a significant barrier for neighborhood residents who wanted better access to medical care, grocery stores and other basic services. The feedback came via a community-needs survey conducted by a volunteer working with the organization,…
New figures reveal racial divide in swimming pool deaths
LaShana McGee marvels at the exploits of her 4-year-old daughter around their neighborhood pool in Piper, Kan. “She goes straight to the deep end. It’s crazy,” McGee said. “I don’t know why she does that, but she does. She just jumps right in, and she will swim her way back to the stairs where you…
JOCO audit highlights security issues, other concerns in mental health operation
The Johnson County Mental Health Center has not resolved long-standing security concerns to protect employees at its Shawnee location, according to an internal audit presented to the board of commissioners Thursday. The audit, conducted by Interim County Auditor Ken Kleffner, said that the mental health agency had rejected security recommendations made in 2007 “because management…
Company seeking to buy KC-area Catholic hospitals inspires condemnation, admiration
Update: Prime Healthcare Services now faces a lawsuit from employees laid off from two other Kansas City-area the company owns. Co-authored by Dan Margolies, health editor at KCUR, Kansas City Public Media. Prime Healthcare Services, the for-profit California health care company that has agreed to acquire two nonprofit Kansas City area hospitals, is no stranger to…