Health reform has not played such a dominant role in public debate and policymaking for nearly 20 years. While there is growing agreement that fundamental changes must be made given the growing costs of health care and the toll that takes on individuals and the economy, there is still wide disagreement on what meaningful reform should entail. KHI researchers and journalists monitor and report on health reform efforts at the state and federal levels.
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Earlier this month, Tom Bell spent two weeks visiting with hospital administrators across the state, listening to their concerns about health reform. “If I had to sum everything up in one word, it would be ‘anxious,’” said Bell, executive director at the Kansas Hospital Association.
0 | Jun. 03, 2010 |
KHI recently convened a group policymakers and stakeholders to discuss a report about the impact of federal health reform in Kansas. Completed by a consulting firm for the Kansas Health Policy Authority, the report said the cost of one of reform’s most significant changes – the expansion of Medicaid – would be borne mostly by the federal government.
0 | Apr. 06, 2010 |
The health care reform legislation that President Obama recently signed into law is ambitious in its scope. It requires individuals to carry insurance while also making it more affordable by creating purchasing exchanges and providing subsidies and tax credits. It protects consumers from long-criticized insurance industry practices. And it seeks to improve the health of Americans through its call for the development of a national strategy to improve public health and its authorization of pilot projects to examine the way health care is delivered and paid for.
0 | Nov. 08, 2009 |
Health policy can be affected by a number of factors, including political and personal beliefs; governmental structures and public opinion.
0 | Nov. 01, 2009 |
States will play an important role in carrying out the reforms of the health care system that are now being debated by Congress. Information from the National Academy for State Health Policy is available to help states better understand what they may be tasked with in the coming months.
0 | Nov. 01, 2009 |
The Kaiser Family Foundation has developed an interactive tool for users to compare various components of the health reform proposals that are now being debated by Congress.
0 | Sep. 01, 2010 |
Due to new federal policies encouraging the adoption of health information technology, a new class of medical workers is expected to be in high demand. Johnson County Community College is looking for 20 students for a new course designed to train health information technologists. The school is part of a training consortium that aims to produce 5,400 graduates by 2012.
0 | Aug. 31, 2010 |
Health reform may change the state’s approach to helping families with autistic children.
0 | Aug. 23, 2010 |
U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran says he’s still bothered by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. “I think it creates many more problems than it solves," he said, "and I would love to replace it with something with a greater focus on reducing the underlying costs of health care.”
0 | Aug. 23, 2010 |
The Kansas Insurance Department will use a $1 million federal grant to strengthen the staff and the analytical systems that it uses to review rate increases filed by health insurance companies, according to Commissioner Sandy Praeger.
0 | Aug. 23, 2010 |
When Congress passed major health reform legislation earlier this year, it approved billions of dollars in spending over the next several years for prevention and public health programs. But the funds are now back on the line.
0 | Aug. 30, 2010 |
Five years ago, 1,402 dentists were practicing in Kansas. There are more today, but only 25.
0 | Aug. 26, 2010 |
The state’s mental health system is falling apart, advocates for the mentally ill said Thursday.
0 | Aug. 09, 2010 |
An idea for matching donated medical services with poor workers in need caught hold with local medical societies and is now flourishing in Wichita, Topeka and in Kansas City.
0 | Aug. 19, 2010 |
A months-long effort to draft a plan for a Kansas health information exchange is nearing completion and will be delivered to federal officials for review by the end of the month.
0 | Aug. 30, 2010 |
Less than one-third of the dentists in Kansas see Medicaid patients, according to a national report.
0 | Jul. 07, 2010 |
Several safety-net clinics have agreed to take part in a federal grant aimed at providing parents access to free dental care.
1 | Aug. 30, 2010 |
Ottawa County Health Planning Commission Executive Director Sara Hodges spent almost five years trying to find a dentist to replace Dr. Fred Hargis.
1 | Mar. 16, 2009 |
This slide presentation to the e-Health Advisory Committee reviews the progress of implementing HIT/HIE in Kansas.
2 | May. 03, 2010 |
Efforts to get the statewide smoking ban through the Legislature show new advocacy approach of some of the state's health foundations.
1 | Jun. 30, 2010 |
The governor issued an executive order today creating a non-profit corporation to oversee efforts to expand the use of health information technology. The corporation will be governed by a 17-member board, most of whom will be chosen by the governor and named at a later date.
1 | May. 19, 2010 |
In a few weeks, state officials will ask the federal government for permission to raise HealthWave premiums by $40 a month.
1 | Jun. 22, 2010 |
The head of the Kansas Health Policy Authority said the agency's budget situation is "untenable," and that some services being provided now must be cut or eliminated in the months ahead. The chairman of the agency's board predicted a coming "trainwreck."