Healthcare and Insurance

Coping with COVID: Kansas City, Kan. seniors over 65 now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine with appointment 

This week, the Unified Government Public Health Department announced that residents of Wyandotte County 65 years old and over are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations. The UGPHD said it’s now scheduling vaccinations for those at highest risk, and highest priority… more

Pharmacies up recruitment to help administer COVID vaccine

Pharmacy chains across the U.S. are on hiring sprees to recruit pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to help with the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign, The New York Times reported Feb. 10.  The U.S. is set to send 1 million vaccine doses to roughly 6,500 retail… more

String of KC-area Midwest Health senior living facilities among first to resume in-person visits

Midwest Health, one of the Kansas City area's largest assisted and independent living providers in the region, has opened all five of its local Homestead Senior Living communities in Johnson County, Kan. Topeka-based Midwest Health owns around 65 senior living… more

KCVA reports no inpatient cases for first time in seven months

For the first time in several months -  since June 2020 - the Kansas City VA Medical Center has no COVID-19 patients. Dr. Ahmad Batrash, KCVA chief of staff, said in a news release that this is a “major milestone.”… more

Affordable Care Act market sign-up reopens for Kansans

Enrollment for 2021 health insurance has re-opened for Kansans this week.  Residents have access to a Special Enrollment Period to sign up for Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance plans between Feb. 15, 2021 and May 15, 2021, along with Medicare… more

GAO calls for delay in implementing Cerner’s $16B EHR System for Department of Veterans Affairs

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the Department of Veterans Affairs pause the implementation of its $16 billion Cerner EHR system to perform "critical" tests before deploying the system at any additional facilities.  The VA went live with the new… more

Coping with COVID: Week four of mass vaccinations to begin in Missouri Tuesday, state releases locations

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson's office released a list of mass vaccination sites for the upcoming week, Feb. 16-20. The list includes a vaccination clinic for those receiving their initial dose at the Cerner World Headquarters Campus in North Kansas City… more

Lockton Affinity acquires insurance platform company

Kansas City-based Lockton Companies affiliate, Lockton Affinity, is bringing on an insurance platform company thanks to a recent acquisition. Lockton acquired San Diego, Calif.-based The BluePrint Insurance Services. The company provides technology, training and customer services to help registered investment… more

Kansas, Missouri Walmart pharmacies to begin COVID-19 vaccine administration on Friday

Walmart said its pharmacies will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines in Kansas and Missouri through the U.S. Federal Retail Pharmacy Program on Friday. Eligible customers can schedule a vaccine appointment via the Walmart website once appointments are available. Vaccines will be available to… more

Insurance Insights with Claude Thau

Many people ask: “When is the best time to buy long-term care insurance (LTCi)?”  The answer: “Now, if you can afford the premium on an on-going basis and don’t have higher priority needs.” The amount of coverage today is relatively… more