KHI News Service

KHI News Service specializes in coverage of health issues facing Kansans. It is an independent news gathering agency with a staff of four reporters that exists within the Kansas Health Institute. KHI News Service reports are made available free of charge to various other news outlets, including all members of the Kansas Press Association.

Featured Report

Maneuvering on budget and taxes continues

House GOP leaders describe their budget plan

0 | Legislature

House GOP leaders today released their plan for a balanced budget without tax increases, saying it would not require "draconian cuts." The plan relies heavily on reduced spending for highways and K-12 schools. It also counts on an influx of federal dollars for Medicaid that has not yet been finalized by Congress.

Kansas health reform supporter expects close vote

0 | Mar. 19, 2010 | Health Reform

The head of a statewide consumer coalition is expecting Sunday’s U.S. House vote on health reform legislation to be “razor thin.”

Committee hears cancer treatment parity bill

0 | Mar. 18, 2010 | Legislature, Health Care Delivery

Insurance lobbyists renewed their opposition Thursday to a bill that would require health insurers to cover oral chemotherapies the same way they do intravenous chemotherapies.

Menu labeling discussed

0 | Mar. 18, 2010 | Legislature, Nutrition

It's not clear what will happen to federal health reform legislation that would require chain restaurants to label menu items, but the Kansas Legislature won't take any action on the measure this year.

Compromise tax break bill on the move

0 | Mar. 18, 2010 | Legislature

A House-passed bill to expand a tax incentive for businesses that create or retain jobs in the state has been rewritten by a Senate committee to limit its cost and avoid a veto.

Tax proposals shot down by Senate panel

0 | Mar. 18, 2010 | Legislature

Plans to increase taxes on tobacco, alcohol, sugary drinks and general sales were each rejected by the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee. Members even shot down a bill that would benefit retailers for fear it would be a vehicle for amendments on the Senate floor.

Advocates: Mental health system in crisis

0 | Mar. 18, 2010 | Advocacy, Legislature, Mental Health

About 300 people from across Kansas came to Topeka as part of Mental Health Advocacy Day.

Maneuvering on budget and taxes continues

0 | Mar. 18, 2010 | Legislature

House GOP leaders today released their plan for a balanced budget without tax increases, saying it would not require "draconian cuts." The plan relies heavily on reduced spending for highways and K-12 schools. It also counts on an influx of federal dollars for Medicaid that has not yet been finalized by Congress.

Changes sought in smoking ban law

0 | Mar. 17, 2010 | Legislature, Tobacco

A new proposal in the Kansas House would allow some bars to permit their customers to smoke indoors.

Committee shelves drug-testing bill

0 | Mar. 17, 2010 | SRS, Legislature

The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee voted Wednesday to table a House-passed bill that would have exposed welfare recipients to random drug testing.

Proposal for soda pop tax gets hearing

0 | Mar. 17, 2010 | Legislature, Nutrition

Busloads of beverage workers helped fill the hearing room and the hallways of the Statehouse.

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.

Advocates: Mental health system in crisis

0 | Mar. 18, 2010 | Advocacy, Legislature, Mental Health

About 300 people from across Kansas came to Topeka as part of Mental Health Advocacy Day.

KHPA board members blast proposed salary cuts

0 | Mar. 16, 2010 | KHPA, Legislature

To accommodate $800,000 in salary cuts, the agency would have to lay off 45 of its 190 Medicaid workers.

Provider-tax bills in the works

0 | Feb. 04, 2010 | Legislature, Medicaid-CHIP

Aim is to draw down more federal money.

Committee hears cancer treatment parity bill

0 | Mar. 18, 2010 | Legislature, Health Care Delivery

Insurance lobbyists renewed their opposition Thursday to a bill that would require health insurers to cover oral chemotherapies the same way they do intravenous chemotherapies.

Kansas Supreme Court to rule on malpractice case

1 | Mar. 02, 2010 | Health Care Delivery, Hospitals

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.

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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9 Major Changes In The Democrats' New Health Reform Bill

March 19, 2010

In their push to pass a sweeping health care overhaul this weekend, House Democrats unveiled a package of legislative fixes to lure undecided or opposed members of their party to the "yes" category.

'Cadillac' Insurance Plans Explained

March 19, 2010

People who have "gold-plated" plans often have low deductibles and excellent benefits that cover even the most expensive treatments. As House and Senate negotiators work to reconcile the differences in their health bills, a tax on these policies could be included in the final legislation.

KHN Columns Explore How Abortion Funding Issues Are Factoring Into Health Reform

March 19, 2010

Writing in one column, Chuck Donovan notes that roughly a dozen members of Congress have insisted they won't vote for any measure that provides public subsidies for abortion beyond those allowed by the Hyde Amendment. Meanwhile, Jessica Arons writes about the changing status quo on federal abortion funding.

Political Cartoon: 'The Health Care Vehicle'

March 19, 2010

KHN's daily installment of health policy humor.

CBO Numbers For Health Reform Package Buoy Democrats

March 19, 2010

Democrats unveiled a health overhaul reconciliation bill the Congressional Budget Office says will cost $940 billion but also cut the deficit by $138 billion over the next 10 years.

Obama, Democrats lobbying hard for health vote

March 19, 2010

resident Barack Obama and Democratic leaders lobbied intensively for historic health care legislation Friday, striving to resolve a last-minute dispute over Medicare while gaining another precious “yes” 48 hours ahead of a climactic vote.

Domestic abuse center that serves Douglas County changes its name

March 19, 2010

To better reflect its mission of helping the victims of family and domestic violence, Women’s Transitional Care Services has changed its name to Willow Domestic Violence Center.

LMH to conduct blood drive today

March 19, 2010

Someone needs blood every two seconds.

Middle class feels health insurance pain

March 19, 2010

Middle-class workers are shouldering the brunt of the health insurance crisis, according to a new report released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Flu shots given to those at highest risk — mostly

March 19, 2010

Last fall, as swine flu cases mounted and parents desperately sought to protect their kids, the hard-to-get vaccine was handed out in some surprising places: the Royal Caribbean cruise line, the headquarters of drug giant Merck, the Johnson Space Center and a Department of Energy office in Idaho.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis poses global risk, World Health Organization says

March 20, 2010

The percentage of tuberculosis cases around the world resistant to two standard drugs remains low -- about 4 percent -- but is three to six times as high in the vast area that once encompassed the Soviet Union, according to a report released this week by the World Health Organization.

New AIDS cases decline in District, but infection rate remains epidemic

March 18, 2010

More than 3 percent of District residents older than 12 are living with HIV or AIDS, an epidemic rate of infection that continues to worry city health officials. But a report on the disease released Wednesday offered hope: New AIDS cases and AIDS-related deaths have dropped steadily in the past f...

First lady asks foodmakers to be on front line tackling childhood obesity

March 16, 2010

Michelle Obama on Tuesday called on corporate food giants such as Coca-Cola, General Mills and Kraft Foods to step up efforts to produce more healthful food and then market that, rather than junk food, to children.

House Democrats' tactic for health-care bill is debated

March 17, 2010

An obscure parliamentary maneuver favored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) suddenly ignited Tuesday as the latest tinder in the year-long partisan strife over reshaping the nation's health-care system, triggering debate over the strategy's legitimacy and political wisdom.

Rare disorder makes people feel off balance for weeks or months

March 16, 2010

When Claudette Broyles tries to describe to friends how she feels, she likens herself to a balloon on a string, tied to a post.

Patient Money: Stressful but Vital: Choosing a Nursing Home

March 20, 2010

Larry Minnix, chief of a nursing home trade group, in front of “All American,” a painting by Lamberto Hechanova, a New York nursing home resident.

Can Strep Throat Lead to Behavior Problems?

March 19, 2010

Dr. Robert King and Dr. James Leckman of the Yale Child Study Center address Pandas and the link between strep throat, tics and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Nuns Back Bill Amid Broad Rift Over Whether It Limits Abortion Enough

March 20, 2010

Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan annoyed some nuns who back the Senate bill by suggesting they lacked influence.

White House Memo: For Obama, Health Care Pushes Other Issues to the Margins

March 20, 2010

In recent public appearances, like this one on Friday in Fairfax, Va., President Obama has focused his remarks largely on the campaign for a health care overhaul.

Search for Aye Votes on Health Care Narrows in House

March 20, 2010

Representative Robert E. Andrews laid out bill's benefits.

HIMSS10 in photos: Day one

March 2, 2010

With "meaningful use" on the mind of every HIMSS10 attendee, Mark Leavitt, MD, CCHIT chair, presented at an EHR Certification Town Hall.

Consumers weigh in on top 10 meaningful use arguments

March 8, 2010

A Washington-based advocacy group has collected consumer and employer perspectives on the top 10 arguments concerning meaningful use.  And with only a week left before the public comment period on meaningful use comes to a close, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is urging the public to weigh in with their own thoughts.

Blumenthal unveils proposed certification rule at HIMSS10

March 2, 2010

David Blumenthal, MD, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, surprised a packed hall of attendees Tuesday afternoon at HIMSS10 with the release of the notice of proposed rulemaking on certification. Blumenthal said he wasn't aware that the rule would be unveiled that day, but as hundreds gathered to hear the latest news from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, he agreed the timing was right.

Top 10 health law issues for 2010

Feb. 19, 2010

With 2010 bringing a heightened focus on healthcare compliance, reform efforts and enforcement, providers should be aware of the legal ramifications that surround these issues, says law expert Stephen W. Bernstein. Bernstein, a partner at international firm McDermott Will & Emery LLP,  outlines the top ten health law issues for 2010. At number five is healthcare information technology. 1. Stark Law Self-Disclosure

Fast Company selects top innovators in healthcare

Feb. 19, 2010

GE, athenahealth, and Sermo are among the top 10 innovative healthcare companies named by Fast Company. Kaiser Permanente is the sole healthcare provider on the list.

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Votes there for tax increase

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What is underinsurance?

Being underinsured means someone has inadequate health insurance coverage to address the financial expenses associated with health care services, resulting in financial strain, medical debt, or postponing needed care due to cost.