healthcare

The University of Kansas Health System says the pediatric intensive care unit, or PICU, only serves about 150 patients a year. KU faculty say closing the PICU creates a cascading series of problems.

The expansion at the hospital’s downtown campus would increase capacity by 25-30%, Children’s Mercy leaders say. The investment will help make more room for pediatric and neonatal intensive care units, increasingly complex surgical procedures and more.

Parkinson’s disease presents physical and mental challenges for people who are diagnosed, but it ends up being a family affair, with one doctor describing the condition as a public health epidemic. A Kansas City woman told KCUR's Up To Date about her experiences taking care of her father.

About half of all Missouri enrollees chose bronze plans in 2026 — the lowest-premium option with the highest deductibles — a significant shift from last year. One reason for the shift is the lapse of Biden-era subsidies that made costs lower for buyers.

The legislation is aimed at hospitals that don't stock emergency contraception on religious grounds.

Even in the Midwest, the cost of life’s essentials is going up. Rising everyday expenses, including food, energy and transportation, are straining household budgets. We invite you to share how you are affording life in 2026 in a short survey.

Voters around Kansas City went to the polls yesterday, and we'll break down the elections. Plus: A community health center in southeast Kansas is working on solving rural health workforce shortages by introducing elementary schoolers to... frog dissections.

A community health center in southeast Kansas hopes exposing kids to health care careers through fun activities could lead them into the field in the future. It’s one way to hopefully fight a long-term shortage of health care workers in rural areas.

The Missouri House passed over 20 bills on Thursday, sending most of them to the Senate. It is unclear how many of them will make it to Gov. Mike Kehoe.

On International Transgender Day of Visibility, Kansas should remember the accomplishments of Dr. Alan L. Hart, a doctor and author born in Halls Summit in the late 19th century. In 1917, he made history by becoming one of the first known trans men in the country to undergo gender affirming surgery.

Hours after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed a bill aimed at protecting crisis pregnancy centers, Republican lawmakers reversed the veto, citing a desire to preserve life in the state.

When new federal work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks take effect next year, thousands of Missourians are expected to lose access to MO HealthNet. Kansas City health leaders want the city to step up.