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Brownback should follow governors’ lead on expanding Medicaid
Gov. Sam Brownback should follow the examples of Republican Govs. Rick Snyder of Michigan, John Kasich of Ohio and Jan Brewer of Arizona, who each recently endorsed the expansion of Medicaid in their...
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Is new regulation on contraception a fair compromise?
Columnist Cal Thomas argues that President Obama’s latest compromise on the contraception mandate still doesn’t go far enough. He objects that private businesses (such as Hobby Lobby) are not exempt,...
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What is O’Donnell’s beef with health department accreditation?
State Sen. Michael O’Donnell, R-Wichita, wouldn’t comment Monday on a bill he has proposed to prohibit county health departments from seeking national accreditation, other than saying it was prompted...
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Kansas seniors saved money on drugs, checkups
Last year 36,383 Kansans with Medicare who reached the Part D “doughnut hole” saved more than $24 million on prescription drugs as a result of discounts provided in the Affordable Care Act, according...
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State agrees to work with doctors on KanCare
It’s good that the state has at least partly responded to concerns from doctors and hospitals about KanCare, the state’s newly privatized Medicaid program. The Kansas Medical Society and the Kansas...
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Hearing on accreditation was a waste of time
At least state Sen. Michael O’Donnell, R-Wichita, backed away Monday from his bill to prohibit health departments from becoming nationally accredited. But he wasted people’s valuable time by giving...
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Brownback should follow Scott’s lead on Medicaid
There likely was no governor who opposed federal health care reform more than Florida Gov. Rick Scott (in photo). But when it came to deciding whether to allow a federal expansion of Medicaid, Scott...
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Local doctors backing Medicaid expansion
Officers of the Medical Society of Sedgwick County are hoping that Gov. Sam Brownback allows the federal expansion of Medicaid. Society president Bart Grelinger told The Eagle editorial board that the...
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Brownback should listen to Christie, not House panel
As Gov. Sam Brownback decides whether to allow an expansion of Medicaid in Kansas, he should listen to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (in photo), who this week became the eighth GOP governor to approve...
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Kansans support Medicaid expansion
Sixty percent of Kansans support the federal expansion of Medicaid in our state, according to a survey released last week by the Kansas Hospital Association. And nearly 3 in 4 Kansans think the state...
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So much for Obamacare being a state issue
The Kansas Chamber of Commerce’s political action committee and Americans for Prosperity spent tens of thousands of dollars on campaign mailers last year claiming that moderate GOP state lawmakers...
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Insurance commissioner sees need for Medicaid expansion
Include Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger among those supporting an expansion of Medicaid in Kansas. She said the expansion of Medicaid would help low-income Kansans who are not getting the care...
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Statehouse shouldn’t put stem-cell center ahead of KU building needs
It’s strange that as the Legislature talks about denying the University of Kansas Medical Center a requested $10 million to build a new health education building, the Senate would vote 33-7 to create a...
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Brownback not sure Medicaid expansion is sustainable
The newly formed Kansas Medicaid Access Coalition – which includes more than 30 groups representing consumers, health care providers and religious organizations – is urging Gov. Sam Brownback to allow...
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Lawmakers shouldn’t pass medically inaccurate bills
As a retired physician, Rep. Barbara Bollier, R-Mission Hills, should be a valued resource for her House colleagues when they consider health-related legislation. But as the House gave initial approval...
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Leave statewide smoking law alone
The 2013 Legislature has spent time trying to undermine past legislatures’ decisions on the sales-tax sunset, the transportation plan, the state’s renewable-energy goals and more. But a new poll...
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Differing views of mental health funding
Our March 22 Eagle editorial, “Speak now on budget,” referred to the unsuccessful effort by state Sen. Carolyn McGinn, R-Sedgwick, to amend the Senate budget plan “to help community mental health...
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Sebelius still facing political fights on Obamacare
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius noted during a program at Harvard University last week how the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act and the re-election of...
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Mandate-lite insurance doesn’t meet mandate
Before passing a bill that eliminates most mandates on health insurance, shouldn’t the Kansas House first make sure that such stripped-down coverage meets the coverage standards of the Affordable Care...
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Roberts right about needing to regulate compounding
Good for Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., for leading an effort to provide more oversight of pharmacy compounding, which now is mostly unregulated. Roberts has been working for more than 10 years to...
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