Medicaid

The Republican leaders overcame objections from within their own party, marking a victory in their quest to fulfill President Trump's campaign promises. All of the Republican representatives from Kansas and Missouri voted to pass the bill, while the Democrats joined their party against it.

Republican U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas said he made changes to the Senate’s version of the Trump administration's reconciliation bill to soften the blow of Medicaid cuts on Kansas hospitals. But health care advocates say it won’t be enough.

After three months of funding freezes, Missouri again has access to federal Title X funding, which funds reproductive health care services like contraceptives and cancer screenings. But officials are concerned about losing more funding under President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill."

The final Senate version of the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" contains restrictions on medical provider taxes that alarmed Missouri health experts — and Sen. Josh Hawley. But he voted for the bill anyways, after adding $50 billion in funding for rural hospitals.

The Republican megabill cuts trillions in taxes, while scaling back spending on Medicaid and other federal programs. It now heads to the House, where some GOP lawmakers are signaling major objections.

The COVID-19 pandemic paused many HIV prevention efforts, which helped fuel last year's rise in new infections. President Donald Trump's federal funding cuts threaten to further hamper those efforts.

The Missouri Hospital Association strongly opposed a plan to cap medical provider taxes at 3.5 percent. The tax helps hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies pay to treat low-income patients.

Missouri is among several states that have tried to remove Planned Parenthood clinics from state Medicaid programs, even though Medicaid funds cannot generally be used to fund abortions.

The U.S. Senate version of President Trump's so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” could ultimately have major budgetary consequences for Missouri, because of a provision capping a critical tax that helps pay for Medicaid. Republican Sen. Josh Hawley says he's concerned about the effect on rural hospitals.

Missouri's House Speaker declined to sign a letter calling for passage of the "Big Beautiful Bill," citing its potential impact on the state's Medicaid program. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said the latest proposal "needs work."

Emily Brown founded Attane Health four years ago to ensure people with chronic health problems have access to the right foods to improve their health. Now, her work has won her the Spark Prize, an unrestricted award from the Missouri Foundation for Health to keep the innovation going.

Federal lawmakers are considering cutting billions of dollars from Medicaid funding. Experts say that would lead to an increase in hospital closures and uninsured rates in Kansas.