March 2015 – Page 74 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

350,000 Kansans and Missourians signed up for coverage at healthcare.gov

by Alex Smith, KHI News Service
Twice as many Kansans and Missourians signed up for health insurance this year under the Affordable Care Act compared with the first enrollment period last year, new figures released Tuesday show.

More than 250,000 Missourians and nearly 100,000 Kansans selected plans on the federal insurance exchange, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Those counts reflect enrollment numbers for the period from Nov. 15, 2014, through Feb. 15, 2015, and includes additional special enrollment activity through Feb. 22.

Overall, nearly 11.7 million people nationwide signed up for coverage through healthcare.gov or through exchanges operated by the states, HHS said.

Neither Kansas nor Missouri set up their own exchanges, or insurance marketplaces, so residents had to sign up through the healthcare.gov platform. Only 14 states operate their own exchanges.

About 52 percent of Kansas and Missouri enrollees were new, the data show. The rest re-enrolled.

Eighty percent of Kansas enrollees and 88 percent of Missouri enrollees received federal subsidies in the form of tax credits to help pay for their insurance, HHS said.

As was the case in nearly every state, older consumers accounted for the biggest single group of enrollees. People age 55-64 made up 25 percent of those who signed up in Kansas and Missouri.

The average monthly premium in Kansas was $301, HHS said, falling to $90 after tax credits. In Missouri, the average premium was $363, falling to $82 after tax credits.

About 11 percent of Latinos and 17 percent of African Americans selected plans, unchanged from the first enrollment period. HHS cautioned those figures probably underrepresent the actual numbers because nearly a third of enrollees did not identify their race or ethnicity.

Though the official open enrollment is over, HHS has created a special open enrollment extension to help consumers who were confused about the deadlines and tax penalties for failing to obtain coverage. The so-called extra enrollment period lasts through April 30.

The nonprofit KHI News Service is an editorially independent initiative of the Kansas Health Institute and a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor reporting collaboration. All stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to KHI.org when a story is reposted online.

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Legislative update from Rep. Stan Frownfelter

Legislative update from Rep. Stan Frownfelter, D-37th Dist.

Under the Dome
February revenue numbers
Parents as Teachers
K-12 block grants
Changes to school board elections

Under the Dome
This has been a short week in the Legislature, because we had Monday and Tuesday off to spend time at home with our constituents. I look for things to start picking up speed in the coming weeks as we begin debating school finance and eventually a budget.

February revenue numbers
Revenue numbers were slightly above estimates in February, marking the first time in seven months incoming state revenue has met or exceeded projections. The state remains $37 million below estimates for the fiscal year with four months remaining.

While the governor and the legislature have cut more than $300 million from state agencies and public education already this fiscal year, the state still faces a budget shortfall of more than $600 million next year.

The state is constitutionally prohibited from running a deficit, so creating a balanced budget is a top priority this legislative session. Unfortunately, we are halfway through the session and have yet to see a comprehensive budget bill.

Moving forward I will consider any budget plan that is fair, equitable, and sustainable and puts the needs of middle class families first. The future success of our state depends upon providing our children with a high-quality education, creating good paying jobs, and investing in the growth and development of our state’s economy.

Parents as Teachers
An informational hearing was held in the House Social Services Budget Committee this week to determine if the state would eliminate its $7.2 million contribution to the Parents as Teachers program. The program, which offers services to at risk youth and their families, is aimed at combating childhood poverty and preparing young children for school. Eliminating the state’s contribution would significantly hamper or eliminate local school districts’ abilities to provide services to an already underserved population of Kansas citizens. Parents as Teachers plays a vital role in our communities, and it is imperative that its funding is preserved.

K-12 block grants
On Thursday Republican lawmakers finally rolled out their education plan. The proposal eliminates base state aid per pupil and instead allocates funds in the form of a block grant, or a lump sum, to each district for fiscal years 2016 and 2017.

I have several concerns about the plan:
• It does not significantly increase funding to schools, and therefore does not address a recent Court order to increase funding.
• It is still unclear how funds will be calculated and distributed, but it will not account for changes in district enrollment.
• It does away with districts weightings that account for local needs such as busing, special education, and bilingual programs. Failing to factor in these costs generates inequality between districts across the state.

The proposed plan comes at the recommendation of Governor Brownback, who has outlined changing the school finance formula as one of his top legislative priorities. The problem with the current formula is not its structure, but rather inadequate funding allocated by the Legislature.

Changes to school board elections
On Thursday the House Education Committee held a hearing on House Bill 2345, which would prevent anyone employed by a school district or the Department of Education from being elected to a local school board. It also prohibits any school employee’s spouse, sibling, parent, or roommate from running for a school board. This bill seeks to unnecessarily limit who is eligible to run for school board and could potentially disqualify competent candidates.

Keep in touch
Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 174-W, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at 785-296-7691 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additional, you can e-mail me at stan.frownfelter@house.ks.gov. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.

Piper girls return to state tournament Thursday

The Piper High School girls basketball team is the only girls basketball team in Wyandotte County going to state competition this year. Piper plays Thursday in the first round of the state Class 4A, Division I, tournament at Salina, Kan. (Piper photo)

by Mary Rupert
The Piper High School girls basketball team will be returning to state tournament competition on Thursday after winning the Class 4A, Division I, substate on the weekend.

Piper beat Basehor-Linwood 55-40 on March 6 and Tonganoxie 52-30 on Saturday to become substate champion in basketball action at Piper.

Jessica Wayne, a junior at Piper, gave a noteworthy performance with 17 points in the substate championship game, coach Shane Stout said.

In the first game of the substate, Piper beat its rival, Basehor-Linwood, for the third time this year.

The only girls basketball team in Wyandotte County to go to state this year, the Piper team is excited about state competition, Stout said. It’s the second year in a row for state competition.

Last year at state, Piper won its first round, lost the next game and took fourth place.

This year’s Piper team is pretty athletic and quick, with some tall players, he said. While the team doesn’t have any 6-foot players, it has a lot of 5-9 players with long arms who are athletic, he said.

“We do a lot of the same things as last year,” Stout said. “This year our scoring is a little more well-rounded, and we do a nice job on the defensive end. I feel like we play with pretty good energy at all times.”

Piper, 17-5, faces Bishop Miege, 22-0, in a first-round tournament game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Kan.

“We’ll have to play our best game of the year,” Stout said. “We play against Bishop Miege, who has one of the best teams in the entire state. They’re 22-0. So we’ll have to play well offensively and defensively, because they have an excellent team.”

It will be a challenge as Miege is taller, with a lot of size underneath and excellent guards, he said. “They are very good at all five positions,” he said.

Piper has a four-game winning streak going into state competition.

“We had a real successful trip last year,” Stout said. “I think any time you get to go, it’s a new season and it’s exciting every time.”