health care

Twenty states — including Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska — have joined a lawsuit suing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over a federal requirement increasing minimum staffing levels for nursing homes.

Planned Parenthood leaders say that neither the Missouri legislature's efforts to cut Planned Parenthood off from Medicaid funding, nor next month’s vote on an abortion-rights amendment, were factors in the consolidation.

The 13-day trial included testimony from transgender minors, who — along with their families and health-care providers — challenged the constitutionality of a 2023 Missouri law restricting physicians from prescribing gender-affirming medical care to minors.

Yes, pharmacies fill prescriptions, administer tests and give vaccines. But they also fill a vital role in the health care ecosystem, offering medical advice and care when doctors aren’t available. When pharmacies shut down, that care disappears.

One Kansas City obstetrician said she has to consult a team of lawyers in emergency medical situations because Missouri's abortion ban is unclear — and threatens criminal charges. She's among hundreds of doctors who urged voters to pass Amendment 3 in November.

A summer COVID surge is starting to recede in Kansas and Missouri, but the next wave of infections is likely only weeks away. People covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance can get the updated vaccine for free or for a small fee.

Before she died in March after giving birth to a stillborn daughter, Krystal Anderson touched hundreds, if not thousands of lives. She was a former Chiefs cheerleader, influential in her career in health technology and a loving friend, wife and daughter. But for Black women like her, the risk of dying of pregnancy-related causes is greater than for white women.

Around this time last year, a quarter of Missouri nursing homes hadn’t been inspected in at least two years. Now the number is closer to 3%, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data.

Washington University officials recently sought to clarify that it would continue some services after a former caseworker claimed that the pediatric center would close.

A landmark federal staffing mandate has prompted fierce disagreement between resident advocates and the nursing home industry.

Many patients stay away from the dentist out of concern about the costs. Health experts say that MO HealthNet covering dental exams is a significant step in Missouri's effort to improve dental access — and to boost overall health, beyond cavities, molars and gums.

In one of four cases between a provider of gender-affirming care and the Missouri Attorney General, a judge has ruled that Missouri’s consumer protection law does not authorize Andrew Bailey’s sweeping demands for unredacted records.