In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration announced a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) for the federally facilitated marketplace.
Read MoreWith social distancing, reduced health care services and school building closings during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increasing need for adequate internet access, which is required for telehealth, education, business and social activities. While information is available on areas with broadband coverage, households still might not have adequate internet access due to technical and infrastructure issues, or prohibitive costs. This brief examines variations in adequate internet access by geography, population characteristics, insurance coverage and other factors to better understand how each one impacts Kansans.
Read MoreThe Kansas Health Institute offered two virtual orientations to review important health policy topics for legislators as they started the 2021 legislative session. The slides and video recordings of the sessions are available on our website.
Read MoreBeginning in March 2020, as COVID-19 cases rose in Kansas and across the U.S., rapid changes in telehealth policy allowed providers to offer care in a socially distanced manner. Looking ahead to a post-COVID-19 world, policymakers in Kansas and around the country are now considering which policy changes should continue, which should not, and whether other changes are needed to encourage the appropriate use of telehealth moving forward. This two-part series explores telehealth usage and policy considerations in Kansas and the nation.
Read MoreMore than one-third (36.0 percent) of Kansans reported not having dental insurance in 2017. However, across age groups and by race/ethnicity, there were distinct differences in whether individuals had dental insurance coverage, how their coverage was provided, and whether or not they had unmet dental needs. This new report, published by the Kansas Health Institute in partnership with Oral Health Kansas, provides the most recent data available on dental insurance coverage in the state.
Read MoreHow does the maze of retail prescription drug pricing and distribution work in the United States? What are the implications for consumers and payers attempting to navigate it? On Sept. 17, 2020, the Kansas Health Institute held a virtual event to explore these issues and help shed light on the complex system and the options state policymakers across the country are using to rein in costs. Watch the video and learn more in the accompanying issue brief.
Read MoreKansas has a shortage of primary care physicians, many of whom are nearing retirement age. This has serious implications for an aging population. As physicians retire, will there be enough new physicians to replace them, especially in rural areas of the state? What can Kansas policymakers do to address the primary care physician shortage? Learn more in our new issue brief, the second in a two-part series examining the primary care workforce in Kansas.
Read MoreKansas, like the U.S. as a whole, is experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians. While nurse practitioners and physician assistants also provide primary care, Kansas statute requires them to practice according to an agreement with a physician. How many licensed clinicians are in the primary care workforce in Kansas? Do most new physicians trained in the state stay in Kansas? Learn more in our new issue brief, the first in a two-part series examining the primary care workforce in Kansas.
Read MoreDespite gains in health insurance coverage since 2009 for nonelderly Kansas adults age 19-64, many remain uninsured. Based on the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, 201,275 (11.9 percent) nonelderly Kansas adults were uninsured in 2017. This issue brief builds on information presented in the 2019 Annual Insurance Update to describe in detail those nonelderly Kansas adults who remain uninsured, including their employment, educational attainment and citizenship status.
Read MoreFor Kansas and other states that have been opposed to the content and philosophy of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a section of the law provides an opportunity to opt out of some of its key requirements beginning in 2017. Section 1332 of the ACA allows states to apply for a waiver to implement alternative strategies to providing citizens with access to affordable health care.
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