© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

A different model for health care in Kansas

A Kansas doctor wants to make everyday health care more affordable through a model called direct primary care, where patients pay a monthly fee for services instead of using insurance. Plus: The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a new leader this school year.

A health care model called direct primary care, where patients pay a flat-rate monthly fee instead of using insurance, is growing in popularity. Bek Shackelford-Nwanganga of the Kansas News Service profiles one Wichita physician and his direct primary care practice.

This school year, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is under new leadership. Karla Eslinger has more than 30 years of experience in education, including as a teacher, principal and superintendent. Most recently, though, the Ozark Republican served a combined six years in the Missouri Legislature. St. Louis Public Radio’s Sarah Kellogg sat down with Eslinger to talk about her goals for the department, and why she decided to make the switch.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

You can support Kansas City Today by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate.

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.
Olivia is the 2024-2025 KCUR Studios intern. Email her at ohewitt@kcur.org
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.