News & Issues
Stories from around the Kansas City Metro area on a variety of topics.
A guide to the legislative sessions, from the ‘Week In Review’ crew
Missouri lawmakers returned to Jefferson City this week and on Monday, Kansas legislators will gather in Topeka for the opening of a new session. From what to do about Ferguson to putting toll booths on I-70, legalizing marijuana to expanding Medicaid…Nick Haines and the panel provide a guide to the upcoming legislative sessions in both states.
An entrepreneur, taking on a hidden need – the diaper gap
A child in diapers uses an estimated 6 to 10 diapers per day. That means the average family spends $18 per week or $936 per year on diapers for each child. The costs add up quickly. And because of this, the National Diaper Bank Network estimates that one in three moms in the United States…
KC Checkup: Five Questions For Dalyn Schmitt
Dalyn Schmitt formed the Heartland Regional Alcohol and Drug Assessment Center (RADAC) in 1998, following on from state-funded services previously provided by Bethany Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan.
Will Kansans support lowering the sales tax on ‘healthy’ food?
A Kansas City-based nonprofit organization says a recent poll shows widespread support for exempting some foods from the Kansas sales tax.
Ashley Jones-Wisner, state policy manager for KC Healthy Kids, says the survey conducted for the Kansas Health Foundation showed that 86.6 percent of Kansans supported exempting fruits and vegetables from the state sales tax.
Edward Snowden on cyber warfare
When Sony pulled ‘The Interview’ from theaters in December it turned the spotlight onto cyber attacks, and their power to disrupt. In an exclusive interview with Edward Snowden, for an upcoming new film about cyber warfare, journalist James Bamford talked with the former National Security Agency contractor who made headlines after leaking thousands of classified…
Primary care docs in Kansas and Missouri face medicaid cuts
Starting this month primary care physicians in much of the country, including Kansas and Missouri, will be paid less for seeing Medicaid patients. The expiration of a federal incentive program in the Affordable Care Act is responsible for the reduction. Nationally, the average fee reduction is expected to be nearly 43 percent, according to a recent…
Donation is ingredient for success at NKC School District’s culinary program
Karla Santos and Husef Rizvanovic, a junior and senior from North Kansas City High School, lift heavy cardboard boxes full of whole chickens. They’re playing a sort of refrigerator Tetris, struggling to fit the boxes of poultry into the classroom fridges at North Kansas City High School. After rearranging twice, they still can’t get the…
Teachers: how much do you spend on classroom supplies?
Share your insights with Tell KC.
ACA navigation company draws criticism from KC health advocates
A Maryland company that has reaped millions of dollars in federal health-reform grants for work around the country is drawing fire for its performance in the Kansas City area. Critics say that Advanced Patient Advocacy (APA), a privately held company, has been slow off the mark in its role as a “navigator” organization, charged with helping consumers find coverage through the health insurance marketplace established by the Affordable Care Act.
KC flu ‘epidemic’? It’s not as scary as it sounds
The phrase “flu epidemic” might raise alarm bells for some, but don’t let headlines about this season’s outbreak scare you too much. “The ‘epidemic’ designation is basically just a way we characterizes whether flu season has started or not,” says Erin Burns, a health communications specialist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s influenza division.