Kansas Health Institute |

Legislature considering more tax breaks The House has approved House Bill 2538, which would allow qualifying businesses to keep 95 percent of the income taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks for five years. Continue Reading

Kansas Supreme Court to rule on malpractice case Medical providers and others are anxiously waiting to see what the Kansas Supreme Court will do about the state's $250,000 cap on awards for pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases. Continue Reading

Plan would expand medical training in Wichita Kansas is going to need more doctors to meet the growing needs of an aging population, officials here say. Continue Reading

Hospital group is backing tobacco tax increase The Kansas Hospital Association will throw its lobbying clout behind a proposed increase in the state tobacco tax to restore a cut in the Medicaid rates paid to providers. Tom Bell, KHA president, said in an interview with the KHI News Service and State of the State KS, that the 194-member association would back Gov. Mark Parkinson’s call for increasing the tax on cigarettes from 79 cents to $1.34 per pack and also raising levies on other tobacco products. Continue Reading

Kansas County Health Rankings 2009 This report, a first-of-its-kind for Kansas, ranks all 105 counties in the state according to the health and well-being of their citizens. And it demonstrates the extent to which factors other than health care influence our health. Continue Reading

Policy & Research

Kansans Not Following Nutrition Guidelines: Findings from the Kansas Health and Nutrition Survey

0 | Mar. 02, 2010 | Nutrition

A look at how well Kansans’ nutritional intake conforms to the national recommended dietary guidelines.

Scarce Resource Allocation Planning Documents for the State of Kansas

0 | Feb. 26, 2010 | Health Care Delivery

During a public health emergency, there is a need to have established plans with directions for maximizing the efficient use of available resources. KHI has drafted two reports, produced upon request from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, that outline recommendations for developing these type of plans at the state, regional and local levels. KHI and KDHE are seeking feedback from stakeholders in reviewing and providing comments about these reports.

Testimony - Statewide Smoking Bans: A Research Perspective (2010 HB 2642)

0 | Feb. 11, 2010 | KHI Legislative Testimony, Tobacco

In testimony to the House Health and Human Services Committee, KHI summarizes the research about the impact of smoke-free policies.

When Health Insurance is Not Enough: Kansas and Underinsurance

0 | Feb. 10, 2010 | Health Insurance

A look at the factors associated with underinsurance and how certain insurance limitations impact Kansans.

Testimony - Use of the Kansas Birth Record Data for Monitoring the Health of Mothers and Infants (2010 SB 448)

0 | Feb. 09, 2010 | KHI Legislative Testimony

In testimony to the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, KHI discusses how birth record data can be used to monitor the health of mothers and infants in the state.

The Private Immunization Delivery System for Children in Kansas

0 | Dec. 23, 2009 | Immunizations

This update to a similar report from 2006 looks at the availability of private primary care clinics in Kansas that offer immunization services to children and identifies ways in which access to these services can be improved.

News

Insurance bill would 'test track' autism coverage

0 | Mar. 11, 2010 | Child Health, Legislature, Insurance

A bill that sets the stage for requiring state-regulated insurance plans to cover autism was heard Wednesday in the Senate insurance committee.

Ways and Means subcommittee finishes KHPA and SRS budgets

0 | Mar. 11, 2010 | KHPA, SRS, Legislature

Some of the Legislature's strongest supporters of early childhood development programs signed off on sharp cuts in children's programs, re-emphasizing the signal from Senate GOP leaders that tax increases will be necessary.

Advocate: Quality assurances missing from nursing home bill

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | KHPA, Legislature, Medicaid-CHIP

“There’s nothing in here that puts a focus on quality of care. It's a sieve,” said Mitzi McFatrich of Kansas Advocates for Better Care.

Efforts afoot to limit cost of tax-break bill

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | Legislature

A compromise appears to be in the works on a proposal to expand tax incentives for companies that create or maintain jobs in Kansas.

Soda pop tax up Wednesday in Senate panel

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | Legislature, Nutrition

A bill that would tax makers or first vendors of soda pop and other sugary drinks at 1 cent per teaspoon of sugar is scheduled to be heard Wednesday by the Senate Assessment & Taxation Committee

Disabled want faster movement off waiting list

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | Advocacy, Legislature, Medicaid-CHIP

Advocates for the disabled stuck 58 crosses in the ground outside the Statehouse in an effort to call attention to the 58 who have died while on the state's waiting list for Medicaid-funded in-home services.

Opponents say tobacco tax increase would wreck businesses

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | Legislature, Tobacco

Opponents weigh in on tobacco tax proposal: Mom-and-pop cigar shops will be forced from business and shoppers will head to Missouri for smokes, booze, gasoline and other goods.

Governor schedules three signing ceremonies for smoking ban bill

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | Legislature, Tobacco

Gov. Mark Parkinson has scheduled three signing ceremonies for a bill that will ban smoking in most public places statewide.

House panel tables alcohol tax increase

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | Legislature, Safety Net

HB 2593 met opposition from Republicans who said it was a "feel-good" measure that would damage the food and beverage industry with no assurance the money raised would go for the intended purpose. But a Senate version of the bill has been introduced and was referred Wednesday to the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee.

Senate panel unsatisfied with cuts proposed by KHPA

0 | Mar. 09, 2010 | KHPA, Legislature

Members of the Senate budget committee that oversees spending by the Kansas Health Policy Authority made clear today they were unhappy with proposed budget cuts offered by the agency. In the course of three meetings Tuesday, members twice told the agency's chief to go back and try again

Memo chills support for HCBS provider tax

0 | Mar. 08, 2010 | Legislature, Medicaid-CHIP

Bills designed to increase federal support for home and community based services were dealt a major setback Monday when legislators learned federal officials were unlikely to go along with the plan.

Law enforcement officials urged to train for dealing with the mentally ill

0 | Feb. 01, 2010 | SRS, Mental Health

With police often called upon to deal with the mentally ill, special training is called for to help defuse tense situations before they become violent.

Resolution intended to preserve cap on damages

0 | Mar. 08, 2010 | Legislature, Health Care Delivery

The House Judiciary Committee introduced a resolution to amend the state constitution to give the Legislature authority to limit non-economic damages in personal injury cases.

Teens describe the foster care experience

0 | Mar. 09, 2010 | Children, SRS, Legislature

“My mother had a habit of leaving me – when I was 10 years old -- with my four brothers and sisters while my dad was in rehab for a week or two at a time,” Rachel Perkins, 19, said Monday during testimony before the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.

Ways and Means subcommittee finishes KHPA and SRS budgets

0 | Mar. 11, 2010 | KHPA, SRS, Legislature

Disabled want faster movement off waiting list

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | Advocacy, Legislature, Medicaid-CHIP

Soda pop tax up Wednesday in Senate panel

0 | Mar. 10, 2010 | Legislature, Nutrition

A bill that would tax makers or first vendors of soda pop and other sugary drinks at 1 cent per teaspoon of sugar is scheduled to be heard Wednesday by the Senate Assessment & Taxation Committee

Don Jordan: SRS secretary

0 | Jan. 16, 2007 | Who's Who

Jordan has had a long career in state government and at the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. He was appointed to lead the agency by then Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in 2006.

Most primary care physicians receptive to medical home model

0 | Mar. 04, 2010 | Health Care Delivery

Kansas primary care physicians say they’re receptive to adopting a patient-centered, medical home model of care.

House committee hears bill that would require more audiologist training

0 | Mar. 03, 2010 | Legislature, Health Care Delivery

House Health and Human Services Committee hears support for increasing minimal education requirement for licensed audiologists.

Seniors' mental health needs often unmet

1 | Feb. 16, 2010 | Community Health, Legislature, Workforce

“We’re not reaching the people we need to be reaching with our existing programs,” said Steve Denny, who runs an outreach program for seniors at the Independence-based Four County Mental Health Center.

State mental hospitals packed

1 | Feb. 04, 2010 | Legislature, Hospitals, Mental Health

Jails getting the overflow.

Push for tighter day care licensing questioned

1 | Feb. 02, 2010 | Child Health, Legislature

Legislators this week are holdings hearings on a proposal that would mean stricter standards for some home day care centers.

Mental health system close to collapse, center directors say

1 | Jan. 25, 2010 | SRS, Legislature, Mental Health

Last year, nine of the state’s 27 community mental health centers spent more money than they took in.

Governor calls for sales and tobacco tax increases

1 | Jan. 11, 2010 | Legislature

Gov. Mark Parkinson, a Democrat, unveiled key details of a budget plan that calls for raising the state sales tax one cent and boosting tobacco taxes to forestall deeper cuts to schools and to roll back cuts in Medicaid provider rates. But Republican leaders said it would be a bad idea to raise taxes during a recession.

No CHIP bonus for Kansas

1 | Dec. 21, 2009 | Medicaid-CHIP

Nine states have been awarded almost $73 million in federal bonus payments for enrolling more children in their state-run health insurance programs. But Kansas wasn't among them despite expectations by some.

Tax increase hardly a sure thing

1 | Dec. 21, 2009 | Legislature, Medicaid-CHIP, Tobacco

Gov. Mark Parkinson says he is ready to push for tax increases instead of continued budget cuts to core state services.

Cost containment key feature of reform bill, expert says

1 | Dec. 21, 2009 | Health Reform

There may be many legitimate criticisms of the health reform bill expected to win approval this week in the U.S. Senate. But one of the most often heard — that it does little or nothing to contain costs — is off the mark, according to a lawyer involved in the congressional negotiations.

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