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.
Missouri
The Beacon reports on the Missouri government to help bring depth, nuance and new ideas to our readers about how their tax money gets spent and about laws passed by their elected officials.
Posted inRural
A new owner took over central Missouri hospital. 9 days later, it cut labor and delivery
For pregnant women living north of Interstate 70 in central Missouri, there weren’t many places to deliver a baby. Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall was one of them. Now it isn’t. Fitzgibbon delivered 252 babies in 2025. In April, the hospital filed for bankruptcy protection and began sale negotiations for its 60-bed hospital and its 99-bed […]
Posted inEducation
Missouri has laws to stop abusers moving from one school to another. Are they enough?
Some parts of the law apply to educators no matter where they work, while others are specific to public schools.
Posted inHealth
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.
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 inEducation
Missouri’s ‘unprecedented’ budget vote leaves schools around Kansas City in the lurch
Missouri’s state education board voted not to ask the governor and lawmakers for full school funding.
Posted inLabor
‘We are human beings’: UMKC workers take their fight for higher pay public
Belkis Cabrera has worked as a custodian at the University of Missouri-Kansas City for 16 years. Each time she and her co-workers earn a merit raise, she said, increasing healthcare costs and inflation swallow it. “We are not asking for much, just respect and enough pay to get by,” Cabrera said through an interpreter at […]
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 inMeeting Notes
Kansas City school board fields competing pleas about fate of historic school
Kansas City Public Schools: Board Business Meeting (Aug. 26, 2026) By Masha Mackey, Kansas City Documenter These notes were produced through Kansas City Documenters, which trains and pays community members to take fact-checked notes at public meetings, strengthening transparency and accountability in local government. Summary Notes Public Comment Superintendent Announcements Legislative Update Academic Focus – “Literacy […]