Medicaid

A Kansas City Medicaid enrollee is among several plaintiffs suing over policy changes that would require medically frail people to prove their condition significantly impairs their ability to work. Plus: Massive restrictions on federal food benefits are being felt especially hard in rural areas, where food insecurity is on par with urban centers.

A new lawsuit challenges Medicaid regulations set to go into effect Jan. 1 that could hinder access to healthcare for people with chronic conditions. A Kansas City-based nonprofit says its client qualifies but struggles to clear administrative hurdles.

The end of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans is adding to the tally of uninsured patients. New Medicaid requirements coming in January could be a multiplier.

In November, Missourians will be asked whether they want to repeal the abortion rights amendment they approved in 2024 and reinstate an abortion ban. Unions and reproductive rights groups already worked together to defeat Amendments 4 and 5 in the August election.

Medicaid policy experts say anticipated changes to Medicaid eligibility requirements are already having a chilling effect, particularly among immigrants. Jackson County leaders are trying to get the word out so as many people as possible can keep their coverage.

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.

New work requirements and twice-yearly eligibility checks are expected to cause millions of adults to lose Medicaid coverage. But community religious leaders and health advocates have been meeting every other week to plan and strategize about how to mitigate the damage.

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 program is meant to soften the coming cuts to Medicaid. The state health department recently announced the first round of Kansas grantees. Hospitals are using the money to increase healthcare access to rural patients.

Chiropractors had been covered by MO HealthNet since 2018, when it was estimated the change could save up to $12 million in state general revenue in the first two full years of implementation.

Rural Kansans could see longer drives to access healthcare or fewer health services because of hospital closures. A report found that Kansas has 28 rural hospitals at immediate risk of closure.