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.
Health
Posted inHealth
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 […]
Posted inHealth
Missouri doesn’t require asking pregnant patients about their mental health. New moms keep dying
Asking the right questions is just the first step. Actually getting support, especially for moms in rural Missouri, is where providers say things get even harder.
Posted inHealth
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 […]
Posted inRural
Rural Missouri families face longer drives, riskier births as maternity wards vanish
Melanie Pierce works with many pregnant women who know they’ll have a long drive ahead of them when labor starts. One of her jobs as a doula living in Mansfield, Missouri, is helping families answer a question that may not be as fraught for women who live closer to a delivery hospital: When is it […]
Posted inHealth
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.
Posted inHealth
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.
Posted inHealth
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.
Posted inHealth
Trump wants to loosen Head Start rules, but Missouri providers say enrolling more kids isn’t so simple
The administration says eliminating more than 1,400 federal requirements could save billions of dollars and make Head Start available to more children from low-income homes. Missouri providers say some rules are burdensome, but question if deregulation can solve the state’s problems.
Posted inHealth
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.