KHI NEWS SERVICE

Work by KHI

Blue Cross Kansas elects new board chair

Steve Sloan of Pittsburg tapped for one-year term

Directors of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas have elected a new board chair.

Workplace safety report released

Kansas ranks low among states, according to annual AFL-CIO report

Kansas ranked low in the annual workplace safety report released by the AFL-CIO. Agriculture and mining remain the most dangerous job sectors.

Larned State Hospital nursing director fired

Larned State Hospital has fired its nursing director, but state officials would not comment on why, according to a report published by the Garden City Telegram. The hospital — one of two state-run inpatient facilities for mentally ill adults — has struggled with staffing issues in recent years.

Forms available for using federal health insurance exchanges

Federal health officials today released the forms to be used by applicants for health insurance coverage through the online exchanges or marketplaces that are scheduled to be in place in each of the states by Oct. 1.

DD advocates launch KanCare carve-out ad campaign

TV, radio and web spots urging governor to keep DD supports out of new Medicaid program

Advocates for the developmentally disabled said they would launch a $50,000 media campaign this weekend with radio and TV ads urging Gov. Sam Brownback to keep long-term supports for the developmentally disabled out of KanCare.

Brownback-like tax plans stalled in other states, report says

Proposals to cut and eliminate income taxes are stalled in several states headed by Republican governors but not Kansas, according to a report by Reuters.

Federal officials to host conference call on Kansas' insurance marketplace

Federal health officials are offering an opportunity for the public to ask questions about how the ACA health insurance exchange might work in Kansas.

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New position at insurance department focusing on the Affordable Care Act

Linda Sheppard named special counsel and policy director

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger has appointed Linda Sheppard, director of the agency's accident and health division, to a new position as special counsel and health care policy and analysis director for the department.

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Animated map shows country growing fatter each year

This animated map from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the country as a whole growing much fatter between 1985 and 2010.

Governor signs into law controversial infectious disease bill

Regulatory authority over health information exchange transferred from KHIE to KDHE

Gov. Sam Brownback signed into law Wednesday a controversial bill that gives public health officials authority to order certain health care workers to be tested for infectious diseases in order to prevent their spread. The bill also clears the way for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to assume the regulatory duties of the Kansas Health Information Exchange.

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