A new surgery center in Independence will focus on Medicaid patients. It’s emblematic of progress improving oral health access in the state.

New federal rules take effect in two months, requiring many Medicaid recipients to prove they work, volunteer or otherwise partake in "community engagement" activities. MO HealthNet recipients will also need to verify their eligibility twice a year instead of once.

Supporters say the proposed ban protects women facing medical emergencies and survivors of sexual assault. Critics question whether those protections would work in practice.

The burden of medical debt came into focus after a New York Times report on Kansas U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall's billing practices as an OB-GYN. The nonpartisan civic engagement group Somos Votantes stepped in and bought up $42 million of Kansans' medical debt.

Families in many Midwestern states face long waiting periods for Home and Community-Based Services Medicaid waivers that help keep people with disabilities out of institutions.

Childcare options in Wyandotte County meet only about 29% of current demand, according to census data. The county Health Department hosts monthly orientations to encourage and support prospective childcare providers hoping to close the gap.

Peptides are amino acids that regulate body functions. Online, retailers claim they can fix everything from muscle soreness to pale skin.

If approved by a majority of voters in November, Amendment 3 would overturn Missouri's 2024 reproductive-rights amendment and effectively ban abortion again. An effort to "Stop The Ban" has raised nearly $26 million.

NKC Health, the North Kansas City hospital that sued, said it has a responsibility to protect its bottom line in an increasingly difficult healthcare landscape. The patient ended up taking out a bank loan to pay off the debt.

Missouri has some of the strictest policies for certified nurse-midwives, requiring they get physician supervision, collaboration or sign-off. A group of advocates who gathered in Kansas City says granting them full-practice authority would boost the local workforce and expand options and access to healthcare.

The closure comes as maternity care continues to disappear across rural Missouri. More than half of Missouri’s counties have no local labor and delivery services.

With a statewide vote on the line and national fights around mifepristone, the Missouri Abortion Fund has launched a campaign to remind Missourians they "always have options."