The fallout from the failed contract negotiations between University of Missouri Health Care and Anthem is rippling far beyond Columbia — reaching counties more than 100 miles away. As of April 1, more than 90,000 MU Health Care patients were left out of network after the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. MU […]
A bill to fund pensions for Missouri sheriffs from new fees on court documents and a slice of the money the state pays counties to house prisoners passed the state Senate on a nearly unanimous vote Tuesday, potentially rescuing a retirement system that voters refused to support at the ballot in November. Last year, lawmakers […]
WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced during a congressional hearing Tuesday the department will soon detail which staff positions it plans to move away from the nation’s capital and where in the country those jobs will be relocated. “We have to move,” Rollins said. “This is a customer service oriented agency. And why do […]
Planned Parenthood Great Rivers must turn over documents about gender-affirming care to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, an appeals court ruled Tuesday morning. Bailey has been looking into the use of cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers and gender-transition surgeries for minors in the state since March 2023, when a former case worker at the Washington University […]
BALTIMORE — A federal judge in Maryland Tuesday will for 48 hours pause her own order to require the federal government to facilitate the return of an asylum seeker mistakenly deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador, while the court waits for the Trump administration’s anticipated appeal of her decision. “I am simply skeptical […]
WASHINGTON — Less than half of Americans have confidence in federal public health agencies’ ability to regulate prescriptions, approve vaccines and respond to outbreaks, according to a poll released Tuesday by the nonpartisan health research organization KFF. The survey shows that just 46% of the people questioned have at least some confidence in federal agencies ensuring […]
Missouri lawmakers passed a bill Monday evening to establish a fund to pay for hyperbaric oxygen therapy for veterans with a traumatic brain injury and facing post-traumatic stress disorder to help prevent suicide and opioid addiction. With a unanimous 33-0 vote, Missouri senators sent the bill to the governor for his approval. “It was remarkable […]
A provision quietly tucked into the state budget last week to allow the bulk online purchase of lottery tickets has set off a flurry of lobbying on both sides of the issue as lawmakers finalize their work this week on Missouri’s $49.5 billion spending plan. The change, which was added by the Missouri Senate Appropriations […]
The Missouri House passed a higher education bill loaded up with amendments on a 94-36 vote Monday evening, advancing largely bipartisan proposals as the end of session nears. The bill heads back to the Senate, where lawmakers can either send it to the governor or request a conference committee to work out differences between the […]
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice wrote in a legal filing released Monday that three GOP-led states attempting to overturn federal prescribing guidelines for medication abortion have sought to keep a case going in the wrong place at the wrong time. The filing is significant since it appears to indicate the Trump administration will defend […]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that the agency will provide $1,000 in what it called “travel assistance” to people in the United States without permanent legal status if they self deport. It’s the latest attempt by DHS to try to meet the Trump administration’s goal of removing 1 million migrants […]
CRESTWOOD, Mo. — The prospect of sweeping federal cuts to Medicaid is alarming to some Missourians who remember the last time the public medical insurance program for those with low incomes or disabilities was pressed for cash in the state. In 2005, Missouri adopted some of the strictest eligibility standards in the nation, reduced benefits, […]
Ameren electric customers across Missouri will see their bills go up this summer after a settlement between the utility and consumer advocates was approved by state regulators. Steve Wills is Ameren Missouri’s senior director of regulatory affairs and said the company is pleased the Public Service Commission approved the settlement, calling it “fair and constructive.” […]
In the week since a teen mom in foster care went public about her struggles with Missouri’s social services agency to keep her baby, she’s faced renewed threats of being separated from her 9-week-old daughter. The uncertainty is nothing new for Hailey, who has been in foster care since she was 2 and became pregnant […]
There are two weeks remaining in the 2025 legislative session. While there will be a flurry of last-minute maneuvering, lawmakers have had ample time to address some long-standing needs for Missouri and its residents. How would you evaluate what they have accomplished? We may have different lists with different priorities, but there are surely some […]
The Missouri Senate appears on the verge of rekindling a 50-year-old fight over the role of the lieutenant governor, triggered in part by the five hours of budget debate this week. At the start of Thursday’s session, Lt. Gov. David Wasinger recognized himself to speak, then quoted state Sen. Joe Nicola expressing his frustration at […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and his team have signaled a strong interest in continuing to strengthen federal support for nuclear power, an energy source Democratic states are increasingly open to expanding. The administration’s loudly pro-nuclear position creates a rare point of overlap between Trump and his predecessor, Joe Biden, whose signature legislation funded hundreds […]
Amber Schmidtke, a microbiologist, remembers feeling a tinge of relief five years ago as COVID spread across communities. At least it wasn’t measles. “Measles is the most contagious disease we have,” said Schmidtke, who teaches at Kansas City University. But now, she and other public health experts are watching with alarm as the largely preventable […]
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump released a budget request Friday that would dramatically slash some federal spending, the initial step in a monthslong process that will include heated debate on Capitol Hill as both political parties work toward a final government funding agreement. The proposal, for the first time, details how exactly this administration wants […]
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