Month: December 2020

Residents have until Tuesday to sign up for Affordable Care Act health insurance

Residents have until Tuesday, Dec. 15, to sign up for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) health insurance.

After Tuesday, residents may have to wait another year to sign up, unless they have special circumstances. Residents may sign up at the website, HealthCare.gov.

For Wyandotte County residents, there are about 49 plans to choose from this year, up significantly from last year. New companies included Oscar, Cigna, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. Still participating are Medica and Ambetter.

The Marketplace website lists doctors and hospitals that are on the provider list for each plan offered. For hospitals in Wyandotte County, Providence Medical Center is only on the Ambetter plans, while the University of Kansas Health System is on Ambetter, Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Kansas City, Medica and Oscar. Neither hospital is listed on the Cigna plan.

There are plans available this year for persons who are in need, also. Plans are available for as little as $10 a month, depending on income. Those who have been left without health insurance during the pandemic are encouraged to sign up. It’s also recommended that those who had coverage through ACA last year should go back to the HealthCare.gov website this year, re-evaluate their coverage and sign up.

Assistance is available from 1-800-318-2596 and localhelp.healthcare.gov.

A good resource on selecting a health insurance policy is at the Kansas Insurance Department’s website at https://insurance.ks.gov/documents/healthlife/health/KID-Issue-Brief.pdf.

Blue Cross-Blue Shield of KC re-enters market

Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Kansas City is back in the ACA market this year, after an absence of a couple of years. This year the company offers plans with access to its Spira Care program, including a location at 98th and Troup. It also has a behavioral health component. There are many hospitals and thousands of physicians in the program, according to a spokesman.

According to a spokesman, hospitals in the BlueSelect Network include AdventHealth Shawnee Mission, Cameron Regional Medical Center, Liberty Hospital, North Kansas City Hospital, Olathe Medical Center, Truman Medical Center Hospital Hill, Truman Medical Center Lakewood, University of Kansas Hospital, and hospitals in the Blue Select Plus Network include all of the previous hospitals plus Children’s Mercy Hospital Hill and South.

Jenny Housley, senior vice president and chief marketing officer with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, said the Spira Care program launched in January 2018 and has been very successful in the experience members have had with the care and benefits they are able to access. Spira Care centers are comfortable, welcoming places for members to go to to get their care, she said. With pharmacy services, x-rays and behavioral health, it is an all-in-one stop for many customers, she added.

Blue Cross-Blue Shield of KC officials said that they exited the Marketplace in January of 2018 because they lost a significant amount of money in the four years they were in it previously. Through 2016 they had lost more than $100 million. At the time they exited, the level of uncertainty and lack of clarity for the individual market was at an all-time high for 2017, making it difficult to plan for the future, according to officials.

For the past few years, they feel the premiums in the market have stabilized a little and are at more sustainable levels now, according to Blue Cross-Blue Shield of KC officials.

Also, the impact of COVID-19 has been significant this year, with more people needing access, officials said.

In the 32-county Kansas City area covered by ACA today, there are about 71,000 Blue Cross members, officials said. Blue Cross-Blue Shield of KC officials believe they have created an opportunity for consumers to purchase products at really affordable price points, and with the addition of Spira Care, consumers will love that they can go into care centers and have positive experiences without any money out of pocket, except for prescription costs.

Gov. Kelly appoints Toland to lieutenant governor post

Kansas Commerce Secretary David C. Toland has been appointed lieutenant governor. In this file photo, Toland attended a Congressional hearing on small businesses held in October 2019 at Kansas City Kansas Community College. (File photo by Mary Rupert)

Gov. Laura Kelly this afternoon appointed Kansas Commerce Secretary David C. Toland to lieutenant governor.

Toland replaces Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers, who will be moving to the state treasurer position, replacing Jake LaTurner, who won election to a congressional seat in the 2nd District.

Toland, from Iola, Kansas, was president and CEO of the Thrive Allen County organization, which worked to improve health and economic development in the Iola area. He is a seventh-generation Kansas native.

He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Kansas.

During the past few years, Toland has worked with Lt. Gov. Rogers on the Office of Rural Prosperity projects.

At a news conference Monday afternoon, Gov. Kelly said she didn’t have to go far to find the ideal person for the job. She said Toland will continue as secretary of commerce while also serving as lieutenant governor.

“Replacing Lynn Rogers is no small task, but of all the candidates I considered, David is ready to hit the ground running in his new role,” Gov. Kelly said. “I have been impressed throughout his tenure as commerce secretary by his enthusiasm, energy, and commitment to economic development and business recruitment. I look forward to our continued partnership as he takes on his new responsibilities in the lieutenant governor’s office.”

Gov. Kelly said Kansas is on track for a new high for capital investment in any one year, despite the challenges faced by the pandemic. She said more than 18 local business leaders have spoken out in support of Toland’s appointment.

“I’m deeply honored to serve Governor Kelly and the people of Kansas in this additional capacity as Lieutenant Governor, and to continue the important work launched by Lieutenant Governor Rogers with the Office of Rural Prosperity,” Commerce Secretary Toland said. “Jobs and economic growth have never been more important than now, and building on the tremendous gains of the economic development team at the Department of Commerce will continue to be my focus going forward. I’m grateful to be working alongside the ‘Economic Development Governor’ as we build on the state’s business development successes and accelerate the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Toland said, at the news conference, that the idea behind Thrive Allen County was that the key to turning around the economy and trajectory of any community was to focus first on qualify of life. Improving quality of life also has been a goal of his work at the commerce department, he said.

During the pandemic this year, the state has rolled out millions of dollars in zero-interest loans for the hospitality businesses, he said, and then went on to help other businesses with grants and loans.

He said the state has delivered more than $2.4 billion in new economic development projects this year, close to double that of 2019, and despite a global pandemic and recession.

The governor’s office released several statements of support for Toland’s appointment.

“Truly beneficial economic development can only be achieved when all parties involved are genuinely focused on people and progress. Secretary Toland was instrumental in making Kansas the perfect fit for URBN, ensuring not only that it will be our home for today but also setting the foundation that best positions us to succeed together for many years to come,” said Dave Ziel, chief development officer for Urban Outfitters, Inc., which has a development project in Wyandotte County. “Amidst the unprecedented challenges that obscure any clarity of what the future holds and a ‘new normal’ may one day be, Secretary Toland’s creativity and adaptability were on full display. The economic investment that continues to pour into the State during these times is testament to approach Secretary Toland has taken and has positioned Kansas to not only survive during these difficult times but to prosper in spite of them.”

“I applaud Governor Kelly’s decision to elevate Secretary David Toland to the role of Lt. Governor,” said former Kansas Gov. John Carlin. “The economic well-being of the state could not be more important right now, as we recover from unprecedented challenges and get our state back on the road to growth. As our new Lt. Governor, I have every confidence that David Toland will continue the progress he began as Commerce Secretary, where he has brought renewed energy and bold strategic direction to our state’s economic development efforts. I have no doubt that his leadership will continue delivering results for Kansans.”

“The KCK Chamber congratulates Secretary of Commerce, David Toland, on his appointment by Governor Laura Kelly to Lieutenant Governor of Kansas,” said Daniel Silva, president and CEO, KCK Chamber of Commerce. “The KCK Chamber looks forward to continuing to build upon an already strong relationship with Secretary Toland as he assumes expanded responsibilities and duties as Lt. Governor of Kansas. Secretary Toland’s collaborative and innovative approach has yielded partnerships for positive impact across Kansas, especially in Wyandotte County.”

“Our congratulations to now Lieutenant Governor of Kansas David Toland,” said Joe Reardon, president and CEO, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. “We have the deepest regard for David Toland whose leadership was instrumental in securing the economic Border War truce between Kansas and Missouri. As Secretary of Commerce, he has worked to collaborate with the entire KC region in our efforts to grow the Kansas City area economy. We look forward to continuing to work with him as Kansas’ new Lieutenant Governor.”

Several other chamber and business leaders also praised the selection of Toland.

Kansas GOP Chairman Mike Kuckelman said in a news release, “The appointment of Lynn Rogers to replace a duly-elected Republican in the State Treasurer’s office and now the subsequent move to replace him with a liberal partisan such as David Toland shows Laura Kelly has no interest in working with Republicans to achieve meaningful solutions in Topeka. She’s simply interested in placating her far-left base.”

The news conference is online at https://www.facebook.com/GovLauraKelly/videos/1065371527222409.

Legislative committee prepares for next session

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Opinion

by Murrel Bland

The Kansas Legislature will open its 2021 session on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The Legislative Committee of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce is focusing on major issues that are important to its members. The committee is preparing its Legislative Agenda which includes issues similar to past years.

The Legislative Committee, which met last Friday morning, Dec. 11, via Zoom, was briefed on what they might expect this session. One of the issues concerns property taxes. The chamber has favored a law similar to the one that affects agriculture — property taxes are assessed on the basis of a 10-year floating average.

The committee heard from Patrick Vogelsberg, a lobbyist for Kansas Gas Service. He said there is an effort in other states to exclude the use of natural gas as a source of energy. Vogelsberg said such a move could happen here and could substantially increase the cost of energy.

There will be a change in leadership in the Kansas Senate as its president, Susan Wagle, did not seek re-election. The new Senate president will be Ty Masterson of Andover near Wichita. He is a conservative Republican. Ron Ryckman of Olathe will be the speaker of the House. He is also a conservative.

The committee learned that the Legislature generally will be more conservative. That probably means a bill that would expand Medicaid to some 120,000 Kansans has little chance of passing during the next session. The Chamber’s committee has favored expansion of Medicaid.

The committee learned that Gov. Laura Kelly has appointed Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers, a former state senator, as the new state treasurer. The former State Treasurer, Jake LaTurner, has been elected U.S. Representative from the Second District of Kansas.

Speculation is that the new lieutenant govrnor may be David Toland, who is Kansas Secretary of Commerce. If so, Toland would continue to serve as commerce secretary.

State Rep. Tom Burroughs, D-33rd Dist., will speak to the Congressional Forum from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, via Zoom. The forum is a committee of the chamber. Rep. Burroughs is chairman of the Wyandotte County legislative delegation and also a Unified Government commissioner at-large.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.