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Crushed by medical debt

Communities of color in Kansas and Missouri face a far higher burden of medical debt than white people in those states and people of color in many other states. Plus, we hear another Kansas City woman share her abortion story.

Medical debt is a burden felt by people across the country, but in Kansas and Missouri, a disproportionate amount of that debt falls on people of color.

According to data crunched by The Urban Institute, communities of color are two times more likely to face medical debt collectors than those in mostly white ZIP codes. Kansas News Service reporter Celia Llopis-Jepsen and editor Stephen Koranda talk about why this is.

Abortion is virtually illegal in Missouri, and depending on the outcome of the August 2 primary, Kansas may see a tightening on abortion access too. Up To Date's Steve Kraske spoke with local entrepreneur Hannah Koenig about her decision to get an abortion.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, Trevor Grandin and KCUR Studios and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

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As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
Trevor Grandin is a contributing producer for KCUR Studios.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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