This week thousands of Kansans will get a Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes-style surprise. But instead of a knock on the door and a giant check, they’ll find a letter in the mail informing them that some past hospital or doctor bill has been paid off. Somos Votantes Education Fund, a nonpartisan civic engagement organization focused […]
Health
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How one unpaid medical bill landed a KC-area patient in court
The Kansas City hospital that sued defended its debt collection practices, saying it has a responsibility to protect its bottomline in an increasingly difficult healthcare landscape.
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Just 2 KC-area hospitals garnish patients’ wages for unpaid bills. They also sue the most
Although the nonprofit hospitals provide free care and write off millions in charges, they have sued more than 400 people in Missouri and Kansas so far this year.
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Unpaid medical bills land hundreds of patients around KC in court each year. It’s only getting worse
On Tuesdays at 9 a.m., Jackson County Circuit Judge R. Travis Willingham’s downtown courtroom fills up with defendants who are often guilty. They are guilty of missing credit card payments, falling behind on small loans or failing to pay down something bought on credit. Occasionally, though, the people who end up on Willingham’s high-volume collections […]
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Missouri train ride led to KC-area measles case that’s exposed 250 people so far
It was the call Ray Dlugolecki had been dreading. And one he and other public health officials have been expecting. The assistant director at Jackson County Public Health learned on Sunday afternoon about a confirmed case of measles, not just in his agency’s jurisdiction, but in one of its own buildings. The previous week, an […]
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Wyandotte County seeks voter approval for a new sales tax to fund a permanent emergency shelter
County voters will be asked in November if they want to add the special tax for health, which could also support other services for unhoused residents. A second sales tax for parks and roads is going on the ballot in Kansas City, Kansas.
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KC hospitals see more patients without insurance — and expect many more
The end of enhanced subsidies for ACA plans is adding to the tally of uninsured patients. New Medicaid requirements coming in January could be a multiplier.
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Not accepting health insurance is a selling point for some Kansas City doctors
As health insurance costs climb, more patients turn to direct primary care for basic care. Patients get quick access for a monthly fee.
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Childhood vaccine rates could get worse as demand for shots dips in Kansas City
Despite a new presidential order, health officials urge parents to stick with longstanding guidance about routine shots.
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KCK neighborhood pushed for money to clean up lead-tainted soil. They got it
A $3.7 million grant from the EPA, one of the largest awarded nationwide this year, will be used to remediate 54 vacant lots in the Douglass-Sumner neighborhood.