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."

Although The University of Kansas Health System and NKC Health provide free care and write off millions in charges, they have sued more than 400 people in Missouri and Kansas so far this year. Other area hospitals also don't garnish patients' wages to recoup payment.

As of Oct. 1, Missouri's Department of Social Services will now review documentation of housing costs, childcare expenses and assets in applications for SNAP benefits.