health insurance

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 Wichita family physician is trying to make primary care more affordable and accessible through a subscription-based model called direct primary care.

Pharmacy closures nationwide are leaving some communities at risk, including in the Kansas City area. Experts say pharmacy benefit managers are what's driving drugstores out of business.

Pharmacists often say their businesses can’t survive under the reimbursement rates set by pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen. Sometimes, they pay more for drugs than they’re allowed to charge customers.

Missouri has removed roughly 136,000 kids from its Medicaid rolls since June 2023. But the state's worst-in-nation processing delays make it difficult to re-enroll — causing many to miss doctor’s appointments and critical prescriptions.

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.

The federal government told Missouri it is concerned the state is not doing enough to “achieve and sustain” compliance with federal rules on Medicaid and CHIP. In Missouri, 72% of insurance applications took more than 45 days to process — the worst in the U.S.

After pandemic-era federal protections for Medicaid ended, Kansas started reviewing who was eligible for state health coverage. About 47% of the residents who lost insurance during that time were ages 18 or younger.

A bill to require insurance companies to cover the cost of advanced breast cancer screenings for all Kansans failed to pass this year, but advocates say they will try again in 2025.

Missouri’s Medicaid enrollment has shrunk by around 200,000 people since last summer, as the state continues the process of undoing a COVID-era pause on eligibility checks.

Lobbyists and legislators have been pushing for years to eliminate copays for supplemental and diagnostic breast cancer screening, which other Midwest states have already done. Advocates say they create cost barriers that can lead to late diagnosis.

Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia, and those who care for someone with the disease often need help navigating services. A new Alzheimer's Association report offers insight on how to make the process easier.