healthcare

Childcare costs in Missouri and Kansas can now rival a mortgage for working families, but two Midwestern lawmakers are fighting to change that. Plus: After the Affordable Care Act tax credits lapsed, healthcare premiums spiked for millions of farmers and ranchers.

Every carrier selling health insurance in the two states through the Affordable Care Act marketplace hopes to raise premiums in 2027, according to preliminary rate filings with state insurance regulators. They blame rising healthcare costs.

Some patients will soon have to meet new criteria to be eligible for Medicaid under the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some experts fear the new requirements could result in millions of people losing coverage and higher costs for healthcare providers.

When Congress allowed Affordable Care Act tax credits to lapse, healthcare premiums spiked for millions of Americans — especially self-employed farmers and ranchers. That added cost is multiplying the stress on their already stretched balance sheets.

Amendment 5, to be considered by Missouri voters in August, would give the legislature the power to replace the state income tax with expanded sales taxes. Critics say it would be difficult to make up the lost revenue without imposing taxes on healthcare.

Rural hospitals in Kansas will use federal money to help them transform and expand access to healthcare. Some are creating new services like mobile maternal health clinics, but looming Medicaid cuts still mean many hospitals are at risk of closing.

The annual child wellness report Kids Count found child poverty has improved in Kansas and Missouri compared to the years before the pandemic. But both states still have tens of thousands of children without health insurance.

After months of planning, Kansas City health leaders said the city’s hospitals are prepared, and bracing for international patients who won’t be able to pay.

If signed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe, the bill will allow anyone in Missouri who is prescribed oral contraceptives to pick up a 12-month supply at one time, beginning in 2027, rather than visiting the pharmacy every few months for refills.

The EF5 tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011, became the deadliest in modern history — killing 158 people. Although little damage is now visible to the naked eye, to the survivors, volunteers and healthcare workers, the scars remain.

A wide-ranging healthcare bill made it to Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe's desk Thursday, the second-to-last day of this year's legislative session.

Proponents of the bill say the legislation is necessary to protect those who survive an attempted abortion, while opponents say it creates a hostile environment for medical workers.