If economic development is seen as the cure-all for Kansas, then the expansion of Medicaid would be the ticket. If we feel we’ve lost our way in terms of moral compassion, then Medicaid expansion would…

For the last several years Kansas has boasted of its shrinking welfare roles. And it’s true. Ever since the administration of Gov. Sam Brownback tightened eligibility rules, voila!, the number of those applying for benefits…

Few issues split Kansas politics like the Obama-era expansion of Medicaid. Unlike 33 other states, Kansas still has not expanded its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act.  Expanding Medicaid would pay for the health…

The imminent closing of Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott brings a sobering reminder of the challenges facing hospitals in southeast Kansas. ?It?s scary. It?s really heartbreaking for their employees and their community,? Patti Boyd, Allen…

This is what we know about healthcare: It’s making us sick — at least figuratively. News that Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott will be shuttered at year’s end is sending shockwaves through neighboring communities. Is…

You know you’re in trouble if your boss questions your very existence. So when Jon Hamdorf, director of Medicaid for Kansas, says he struggles with the concept of whether health care is a right or…

In their efforts to prove they can outfox the Affordable Care Act, 20  Republican state attorneys general are working to prove its unconstitutionality and in the process eliminate valuable protections for U.S. consumers. Top of…

The Kansas tax experiment, which played out from 2012 through 2017, deeply damaged Kansas finances. Income tax cuts choked revenue to the general fund and created a multi-year budget crisis. In 2017, lawmakers reversed much…

Kansas had its own Moral Monday, but it was on Tuesday. In Georgia, protestors flooded the state capitol Monday to protest the Legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid guidelines as provided in the Affordable Care Act.…