Medicaid

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.

More than 300,000 Missouri residents lost Medicaid coverage within the course of the year, and 92% were because of "procedural" terminations due to missing forms, incomplete information or other issues. A new rule proposed by the federal government could add even more paperwork.

The effort comes after the federal government criticized suspected levels of Medicaid fraud in Democratic-led states.

Research from Washington University shows two-thirds of Missouri Medicaid recipients are employed. Others who didn’t work cited disability, illness, caregiving or retirement as reasons. The study comes as many adults on Medicaid will soon need to prove they work.

Missouri officials have proposed cutting tens of millions of dollars in services for people with disabilities. And Montana halted a plan to pay for birthing doulas amid a budget shortfall and fears over coming federal Medicaid cuts.

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.

Sedalia's newest effort to help its most vulnerable residents appears to be a win: a building with the area’s most crucial social service providers all under one roof, available throughout the week on a walk-in basis. It's part of a Missouri pilot program to better serve rural communities.

A state constitutional amendment, if passed by voters, would require many people on Medicaid to work. The amendment reflects federal work requirements that were passed last year and must be in place next year.

The proposed ballot measure, if approved by a majority of Missouri voters, would make it more difficult for the state to reverse federal restrictions on Medicaid eligibility. The upcoming changes could cause 130,000 Missourians to become uninsured in the next decade.