Samantha Horton
Health Reporter, Kansas News ServiceSamantha Horton is a former health reporter for the Kansas News Service.
She most recently worked as a fellow with the NPR Midwest Newsroom and the Missouri Independent. Previously, she covered business and economy in Indiana with Indiana Public Broadcasting for four years, and was a reporter with Side Effects Public Media and WNIN. Her work has won awards including a Regional Edward R. Murrow and has been featured on NPR.
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Hospitals across the country have recruited nurses from around the world to make up for U.S. labor shortages. But demand for international workers is delaying visas and slowing the flow of nurses able to come to Kansas. -
The Kansas Medicaid disenrollment rate is one of the highest in the country. Almost two-thirds of Kansans have lost coverage due to procedural issues. -
The pandemic allowed people to receive prescriptions for mental health and opioid addiction through telemedicine. Now Kansas clinicians want those flexibilities to be permanent. -
The bill would have clamped down state public health officials' ability test and quarantine Kansans for infectious diseases. -
An early detection program provides breast and cervical cancer screening and treatment to uninsured people. Yet potentially hundreds of other Kansans diagnosed with other types of cancer remain without coverage. -
Would this $300 million tax cut in Kansas help the rich most? The governor will decide on a flat taxThe Kansas Legislature recently approved a tax plan that sets a 5.15% income tax rate for almost all Kansans. Critics argue the plan mostly benefits the richest Kansans while also putting the state’s revenue stream in peril. -
Thousands of Kansans are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage as the state begins reviewing who still qualifies after a three-year pause. Experts and health care advocates advise people on how to best prepare. -
The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature passed a bill into law that bans transgender girls and women from participating in girls and women’s sports. The lawmakers had failed twice in past years to override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. -
A federal judge ruled Thursday that insurers should not have to cover some preventive care screenings, including for lung and skin cancer. -
Even when doctors prescribe Kansas Medicaid patients things like wheelchairs, walkers or bath chairs, families can face denials or long waits for medical equipment.
