A Kansas Senate Committee cuts budget money for a new building at KU Medical Center. Missouri Democrats have filed a bill to expand Medicaid in the state. A group of reproductive health bills spark debate on a Missouri Senate committee.
Kansas Senate Committee Cuts $10 Million For KU Med
A Kansas Senate committee has voted to cut $10 million dollars that had been intended to help pay for a new health education building on the campus. The proposal’s sponsor says KU should be more frugal, but others say the building is needed to keep accreditation. Find out more here
Missouri Democrats File Medicaid Expansion Bill
House Democrats are sponsoring legislation to expand Medicaid in Missouri, despite the fact that the state budget filed by Republicans leaves out the proposed expansion. House Bill 627 would expand Medicaid to an additional 300,000 Missourians, and House Democrats say not passing it would cost the state 5,000 jobs and could force some rural hospitals to close their doors. Learn more here.
Cultural Battle Over Women's Reproductive Health Issues Resumes
A Missouri Senate committee heard about four bills dealing with women’s reproductive rights. They include a measure that would require a doctor to be physically present whenever abortion-inducing drugs are administered to a woman. Other bills being considered would give Missouri pharmacies the legal right to NOT provide certain drugs, guarantee free speech rights of alternatives-to-abortion centers, and would shield health professionals from providing services that violate their personal beliefs. Find out more here.