Kansas bill just another attempt to strip away abortion rights, despite voters’ will
When I became a doctor, I prepared myself to spend my days caring for people at their best, worst and most mundane moments. As a practicing OB-GYN, I’ve spent my career caring for women at every stage of life. My patients remind me every day of the complexity of women’s reproductive health care — from […]
Kansas Republicans vowed to make our lives easier and cheaper. How’s that working out?
Prices continue to rise. At the grocery store, the gas pump, in rent and utility bills—Kansans’ wallets are hurting, and we have yet to see any relief. Just the other day, I received my new property tax appraisal—my home value increased by almost 15%! Since January 2021, the average Kansas household has spent $33,275 more […]
Partisan proposals to slash Medicaid will leave Kansans poorer and sicker
Voters in November sent a clear message that they were dissatisfied with the status quo and the high cost of goods and services. The rising cost of health care was one of the top pocketbook issues voters cared about — second only to food, according to a recent column by KFF, an independent source of health […]
Commentary: If Federal Healthcare Spending Is a Target, Then So Is Rural America
Underserved communities across rural America would experience outsized negative effects to health outcomes resulting from cuts to cornerstone federal healthcare funding programs. Lists of potential healthcare spending cuts to include in a reconciliation bill are circulating on Capitol Hill, and healthcare is getting star billing. Proposals include many measures affecting the Medicaid program, including the […]
The Republicans’ Choice: Tax Cuts for the Rich or Health Care for Americans
Last week was brutal for anyone who cares about the future of health insurance for low- and middle-income Americans. On Tuesday, the federal government’s Medicaid funding portals temporarily shut down, sending doctors, patients and hospitals into a panic. The next day, President Trump’s nominee for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., fumbled basic facts about […]
President Trump Should Commit to Actually Lowering Costs for Hardworking Families
When running for office, President Donald Trump promised to help working-class Americans—people like those I represent in Kansas’ Third District. I share that goal and have worked across the aisle to lower costs for families. That includes reducing the cost of prescription drugs, making groceries and gas more affordable, and rebuilding roads and bridges while creating good-paying […]
Rural Kansans depend on Medicaid at beginning and end of life. D.C. proposals threaten program.
In the public debate over Medicaid expansion in Kansas, a critical fact often gets lost: Large numbers of residents already depend on the program. What’s more, despite racist stereotypes, those benefiting from the program live mostly in rural areas. A new report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families sketches the present system and makes clear […]
Kansas lawmakers can elevate lives of 36,000 kids by funding these meals
About 15 years ago, I was in a meeting with the superintendent of my community’s school district and I asked him why families had to pay for their kids’ meals while at school. If kids are required to attend school and are supplied with all the resources they need for their education, why was a […]
Kansas GOP candidates have suddenly become moderates on abortion. How convenient. How cynical.
I vividly recall the anti-abortion “Summer of Mercy” protests that swallowed Wichita in the summer of 1991. The protesters who blocked access to George Tiller’s clinic made no bones about their stance: Abortion was murder, and they were fighting to save the lives of babies. In the 33 years since, anti-abortion advocates built their movement atop the shoulders of […]
I’m a Republican Kansas OB-GYN. Prasanth Reddy would strip away my patients’ rights
Kansas OB-GYN Prasanth Reddy, a Republican, seeks to strip away patients’ rights. Learn how his stance could impact women’s healthcare in the state. I will never forget where I was on June 24, 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the fateful Dobbs decision, overturning Roe v. Wade. At the maternal fetal medicine office […]
