The use of telehealth services – a combination of telephone, video, and other online tools – peaked during COVID closures, and Coloradans still are opting for remote visits, according to new data. Social isolation and other disruptions saw mental and behavioral telehealth visits rise dramatically. Cari Frank – vice president for communications with the Center […]
The Medicare open enrollment period has opened; however, the window also comes with a safety warning. Missourians eligible for Medicare are being urged by the state to review and choose a plan that works best. That window closes on December 7th. The enrollment period offers Missourians a chance to change their Part D […]
(Missouri Independent) – Roughly 4,300 Missourians eligible for health care under Medicaid expansion have been enrolled, a top Missouri Medicaid official said Thursday. That figure represents a little over a quarter of the more than 17,000 applications the state has received since it began accepting applications for Medicaid expansion coverage in August, the Centers for […]
(Missouri Independent) – Roughly 4,300 Missourians eligible for health care under Medicaid expansion have been enrolled, a top Missouri Medicaid official said Thursday. That figure represents a little over a quarter of the more than 17,000 applications the state has received since it began accepting applications for Medicaid expansion coverage in August, the Centers for […]
The Federal Communications Commission has adopted 988 as a new three-digit number to be used nationwide to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline. The use of this new three-digit number will begin on July 16, 2022. The FCC is implementing this new three-digit number in an effort to simplify the hotline’s […]
(Missouri Independent) – The massive economic policy package Democrats are trying to muscle through Congress could open the door to free community college for undocumented immigrants. But that lifeline for many people now denied access to higher education could also reignite controversies in Republican-leaning states over immigration and federal overreach. The provision on immigrants was […]
Missourians have a little more than a month until open enrollment for healthcare coverage at healthcare.gov, and medical experts say it’s important to understand your options to get the best plan for your needs. More than 215,000 Missouri residents are enrolled in coverage. But Michelle Davis Reed, eligibility and enrollment coordinator with Northwest Health Services […]
Hy-Vee, Inc. announces that free Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster doses are now available at Hy-Vee’s more than 275 Hy-Vee Pharmacy locations across its eight-state region. The new booster, recently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommended for the following Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine recipients at least six months […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the final day of the 2021 legislative session in May, Missouri lawmakers passed a “law enforcement bill of rights” that gives officers special legal protections and closes files to police misconduct. When Gov. Mike Parson signed it into law in July, the bill of rights portion was largely overshadowed in press […]
(Missouri Independent) – Under a new state law that went into effect late last month, Missouri will become the final state to enforce a federal law designed to ensure mental health care is covered by insurance providers the same as treatments for physical ailments. The provisions were included in House Bill 604, an omnibus insurance bill […]
(Missouri Independent) – Attorneys who successfully sued to force Missouri to enact voter-approved Medicaid expansion argued in a letter to state officials Thursday that delays in implementation violate not only the court order but also federal law. The plaintiffs’ attorneys, Chuck Hatfield and Lowell Pearson joined with Joel Ferber, director of advocacy for Legal Services […]
Hy-Vee, Inc. announces today that free, third Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine doses are now available at Hy-Vee’s more than 275 Hy-Vee Pharmacy locations across its eight-state region. The new doses, recently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are only recommended for severely to moderately immunocompromised […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missourians who qualify for benefits under Medicaid expansion can begin enrolling. Still, it may take up to two months until they will find out if their eligibility has been verified and their application has been approved. In a news release Wednesday, Gov. Mike Parson announced that in response to a Cole County […]
(Missouri Independent) – The Missouri Department of Social Services must allow newly eligible residents that qualify for benefits under voter-approved Medicaid expansion to enroll and cannot impose greater restrictions on them, a Cole County judge ruled Tuesday. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem sided with the plaintiffs who urged him to allow Medicaid expansion to take […]
We’ll learn new details Friday in Jefferson City about how Missouri will proceed with voter-approved Medicaid expansion. The Missouri Supreme Court’s 14-page ruling includes a conclusion, which requires Friday’s hearing in Cole County Circuit Court. “For the reasons set forth above, the circuit court’s judgment is affirmed only insofar as it overruled the […]
Today’s announcement from their corporate office in West Des Moines involves the launch of Hy-Vee Medicare Aisle, an agency dedicated to serving Medicare beneficiaries across an eight-state region. This is the newest offering to Hy-Vee Financial Services fueled by Midwest Heritage — Hy-Vee’s banking, insurance and investments subsidiary. Hy-Vee Medicare Aisle customers can select from […]
Health-care advocates called on Missouri lawmakers to allocate funds for Medicaid expansion right away after the state Supreme Court ruled they must extend coverage to the 275,000 people who fall into what’s known as the Medicaid gap. That means they have incomes above their state’s eligibility for Medicaid but cannot afford marketplace or employer-based insurance. […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri must expand Medicaid to 275,000 eligible people who were expecting coverage under a constitutional amendment that took effect July 1, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled Thursday. In a unanimous opinion, the court overturned a trial court ruling that the amendment, passed in August 2020 was unconstitutional because it may increase the state’s cost for […]
A Missouri, man who was identified when his photo was broadcast by local TV stations was charged in federal court today with bank robbery. Charles Edgar King Jr., 56, of Springfield, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo., on Tuesday, July 20. His initial court appearance was […]
Missouri’s Medicaid expansion lawsuit case is now in the hands of the seven-member state Supreme Court. The court heard about 35 minutes of oral arguments Tuesday morning in Jefferson City. This case will likely come down to the definition of “appropriation.” Cole County Circuit Judge Jon Beetem ruled in June that Missouri’s August Medicaid expansion […]
