Open burning banned today

The Kansas City, Kan., Fire Department has issued a burn ban because of windy conditions on Saturday.

All residents are asked to refrain from open burning until further notice. Residents with open burning permits are asked not to burn today.

They also are asked to use caution when using outdoor barbecue equipment, the Fire Department spokesman said.

Winds today are from the south at 23 mph, gusting to 32 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

The temperature was 79 degrees at noon Saturday, with a high of 81 possible today.

Showers and thunderstorms are possible tonight, after 1 a.m.

 

Saturday events

 

Ethnic festival: The annual Wyandotte County Ethnic Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in the Kansas City Kansas Community College Field House, 7250 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Ethnic food will be for sale. Music and dance groups will entertain. In this file photo from 2013, the KCK Concert Choir performed at the Ethnic Festival. For more information on the festival, visit www.freewebs.com/wycoethnicfestival/. (Staff file photo)

Ethnic festival to be Saturday

The annual Wyandotte County Ethnic Festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 12, in the Kansas City Kansas Community College Field House, 7250 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan. Admission is free and the event is open to the public. Ethnic food will be for sale. Music and dance groups will entertain.  For more information on the festival, visit www.freewebs.com/wycoethnicfestival/.

Town Hall Forum planned April 12

The Kansas City, Kan., Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a Town Hall Forum about legislative topics from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the West Wyandotte Library, 1737 N. 82nd St., Kansas City, Kan. The public will hear an update on legislation and will have the opportunity to meet with members of the Wyandotte County legislative delegation. The program is free and open to the public.

Church plans benefit supper

Edwardsville United Methodist Church, 302 N. 4th St., Edwardsville, Kan., will hold its Second Saturday Supper from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 12. It will feature spaghetti. salads, desserts and drinks. Suggested donations are $8 for adults and $3 for children.

Easter egg hunt, parade planned

A “hallelujah” parade is planned at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 12, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1300 N. 18th, Kansas City, Kan., followed by an Easter egg hunt at 11:40 a.m. on the parish grounds.

Book sale continues at Bonner library

The spring book sale continues Saturday, April 12, at the Bonner Springs Library sponsored by the Friends of the Library. A variety of fiction and nonfiction along with CDs and DVDs, large print and many books for children are available. Hard back volumes are $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents, as well as a bargain corner of older items for only 25 cents.  Many donated items are like new and would make great gifts.  On Saturday the sale will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.The sale is located in the basement storm shelter area which is available from the parking lot in back of the library. The Bonner Springs City Library is at 201 N. Nettleton Ave., Bonner Springs.

Few poor Kansans qualify for Medicaid

by Kansas Health Institute (KHI)

Topeka — It is a common misconception that all poor Kansans are eligible for Medicaid.

In reality, only a few are actually eligible.

Medicaid is a publicly financed source of health insurance for low-income individuals. The cost of the program is split between the federal and state governments. Federal law requires some populations to be covered, but states have a lot of flexibility in the program to cover additional populations.

Therefore, income eligibility levels vary greatly among the states.   Kansas offers Medicaid coverage to children, pregnant women, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and parents whose income is below the state’s threshold to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), as required by federal law. Kansas does not extend Medicaid coverage to many other adults. As a result, Kansas has some of the strictest Medicaid income constraints for adults in the nation.

The Affordable Care Act required states to provide Medicaid coverage to all adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL), which equals $32,913 per year for a family of four.

However, a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court decision made Medicaid expansion essentially optional for states, and Kansas officials have not expanded the program. Expansion requires legislative approval, and with the legislative session winding down, it looks like a decision won’t be made this calendar year.

“Currently, less than 10 percent of the entire Kansas Medicaid/CHIP population are non-disabled adults under age 65,” said Scott C. Brunner, senior analyst and strategy team leader at the Kansas Health Institute, and the state’s former Medicaid director. “Most of them are required populations under federal law. To qualify for Medicaid, Kansas parents must make no more than 38 percent of the federal poverty level, or $9,063 annually for a family of four. Childless adults do not qualify, even if they have no income at all.”

To inform the discussion KHI has released a new issue brief that examines in detail who is-and who is not-currently eligible for the combined Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program in Kansas.  The issue brief on this topic is at http://media.khi.org/news/documents/2014/04/09/AdultsInMedicaid0409.pdf.

The Kansas Health Institute delivers credible information and research enabling policy leaders to make informed health policy decisions that enhance their effectiveness as champions for a healthier Kansas. The Kansas Health Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy and research organization based in Topeka, established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation.