COVID-19 – Page 42 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

COVID-19 testing to resume Tuesday

COVID-19 testing will resume on Tuesday, Sept. 7, in Wyandotte County, after a pause by the Health Department during the Labor Day holiday.

The former Kmart building at 7836 State Ave., a Unified Government Health Department vaccination site, will be open for testing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and for COVID-19 vaccinations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. There are incentives being offered for Wyandotte County residents, while supplies last.

The Unified Government Health Department is expected to give an updated report on COVID-19 in Wyandotte County during a UG special meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9. The meeting will be shown on UGTV and on YouTube, as well as accessible on Zoom and on the telephone.

Wyandotte County reported a cumulative 22,735 cases on Friday, Sept. 3, an increase of 224 over the five-day period since Monday, according to the Unified Government Health Department’s COVID-19 webpage. There were a cumulative total of 335 deaths on Friday, an increase of 10 deaths in the five-day period.

Kansas City, Kansas, celebrated Labor Day under a mask order that is in effect through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16. This order, originally issued Aug. 6, applies to Kansas City, Kansas, indoor public spaces, including businesses and public gatherings.

The Unified Government Health Department also issued guidance on social gatherings on Aug. 25. This “guidance” was not an order, but was intended to help individuals and families who were making decisions about gatherings, according to a Health Department spokesman. Those who are not in the same households are being encouraged to take precautions.

This guidance document recommended the safest gatherings for people who were fully vaccinated were outdoor gatherings up to 25 people, and if people cannot maintain six feet of distance, they should wear a mask.

Those who are fully vaccinated who gather indoors should limit the gathering to 10 people, wear a mask and maintain six feet of social distancing, according to the guidance document. There were other guidelines for other situations in the document, which is online at https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/wyco-gathering-guidance.pdf.

Organizations, businesses and groups that would like advice about their large events may contact the Health Department at [email protected] or call 913-573-6712.

Why the increase in cases?

An expert who was interviewed on Friday, Sept. 3, at the University of Kansas Health System’s morning update said that he thought some of the uptick in cases in the United States could be due to the change in behavior of the populace.

Dr. Vincent Racaniello, a professor in the microbiology and immunology department at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, said not enough research has been done to determine if the Delta variant is the cause of more deadly disease.

“I think unless we see masking in schools, we will see even more cases of children getting sick,” he said.

Dr. Racaniello said the COVID-19 vaccines were working to prevent people from getting seriously sick and dying from COVID-19. They prevent serious illness and death, even from the Delta strain, according to Dr. Racaniello. He urged people to get a COVID-19 vaccination and wear masks. To see more of his remarks, visit https://www.facebook.com/kuhospital/videos/912943792638183.

Vaccines, tests available

Mobile vaccines can be requested online at WycoVaccines.org or by calling 3-1-1 (913-573-5311). For more information on the Unified Government Health Department’s vaccine schedule, see WycoVaccines.org.

COVID-19 vaccines and tests are available at other locations in Wyandotte County, including some pharmacies. For locations and availability, visit www.vaccines.gov.

COVID-19 testing from WellHealth will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, and through Friday at the Kansas National Guard Armory, 100 S. 20th. The site is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It was closed for the Labor Day, Sept. 6, holiday.

Free vaccinations at KU Health System are open to the public, and appointments are required. Current patients may use MyChart to make an appointment. Others may call 913-588-1227 or visit kansashealthsystem.com/vaccine to make an appointment to get vaccinated. KU Health System currently is vaccinating residents of Kansas and Missouri who are 12 or older, by appointment only. Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the appointment.

Free testing is also available from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays at Vibrant Health Cordell D. Meeks Jr. Clinic, 4313 State Ave.

The Village Initiative, 3004 N. 27th St., Kansas City, Kansas, is sponsoring COVID-19 testing every other Wednesday. The next testing is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 8. Along with the COVID-19 testing, there will be a food giveaway. There will be $20 gift cards to members of the community that receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Appointments are not required.

Case numbers reported

The University of Kansas Health System reported 103 total COVID-19 patients on Friday, Sept. 3, according to Dr. Dana Hawkinson, medical director of infection prevention and control. Fifty-five patients with the active virus were inpatients on Friday, an increase of one from Thursday. One patient died on Thursday, and that patient was not vaccinated. Sixteen COVID patients were in the intensive care unit on Friday. Twelve patients were on ventilators. Forty-eight other patients were still hospitalized from COVID, but were out of the acute infection stage, an increase of nine. Ten of the 55 active patients were fully vaccinated, but had significant health problems such as liver disease, organ transplant or cancer.

On Wednesday, Sept. 1, the Unified Government Health Department reported that 46.66 percent of Wyandotte County residents had received at least one dose of vaccine. Those completing their vaccinations totaled about 39.84 percent.
The percentage of Wyandotte County residents who were age 12 and older who had received at least one dose was 57.4 percent.

The Mid-America Regional Council reported 202,286 cases in Greater Kansas City, a nine-county area. There were a total of 2,726 deaths. The daily average of new hospitalizations was 128.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 377,123 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Kansas on Friday, Sept. 3, an increase of 4,952 since Wednesday, Sept. 1. There was a total of 5,630 cumulative deaths reported statewide, an increase of 49 since Sept. 1.

The KDHE reported 70,526 cumulative COVID-19 cases in Johnson County on Sept.3, an increase of 465 since Sept. 1. Leavenworth County had 9,234 cases on Sept. 3, an increase of 72 since Sept. 1. Sedgwick County (the Wichita area) reported 68,486 cases on Sept. 3, an increase of 1,086 since Sept. 1.

On Friday, the KHDE reported 10,637 cumulative cases in Douglas County (the Lawrence area), an increase of 83 since Wednesday. Riley County (the Manhattan area) had 7,176 cumulative cases, an increase of 40. Shawnee County (the Topeka area) had 22,437 cumulative cases, an increase of 302 cases.

On Monday afternoon, there were a cumulative 39,973,912 COVID-19 cases in the United States, with a cumulative 648,714 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Visit gogettested.com/Kansas and https://wyandotte-county-covid-19-hub-unifiedgov.hub.arcgis.com/pages/what-to-do-if-you-think-you-have-covid-19 for more testing sites.

Wyandotte County residents may contact the Health Department at wycohelp.org to sign up for a test to be delivered to their home.

For more details about free COVID-19 testing offered by the UG Health Department, visit https://www.facebook.com/UGHealthDept or call 3-1-1.

To view the mask order in Kansas City, Kansas, visit https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/mask-mandate-resolution-r-47-21-effective-august-6-through-september-16-2021.pdf and https://www.wycokck.org/files/assets/public/health/documents/covid/ug-issues-mask-order-for-kck-and-other-portions-of-wyco.pdf.

Landing in the hospital with COVID-19 getting more expensive – here’s why

If you come down with a nasty case of COVID-19, here are the key things to worry about — moneywise — as you brace for the financial fallout.

by Celia Llopis-Jepsen, Kansas News Service, KCUR

For many Kansans, landing in the hospital with COVID-19 could easily cost thousands more dollars now than earlier in the pandemic.

It’s the latest, financial reason that experts encourage people to get vaccinated.

The vast majority of people hospitalized with the coronavirus today never got their shots against the disease. Getting the coronavirus vaccine gives you excellent odds of staying out of the hospital.

Early in the pandemic, most major insurance companies and many employers promised to waive cost-sharing (coinsurance, copays, deductibles) if you caught COVID-19 and needed medical care.

That’s changing.

“Insurers were voluntarily waiving deductibles and copays,” said Krutika Amin, a researcher at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “The environment has shifted with the safe and highly effective vaccines that are now widely available.”

In recent months, most health plans nationwide appear to have dropped those promises. Others plan to make the same move in coming weeks or months. That includes Kansas’ two largest insurers, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and Blue KC.

If you come down with a nasty case of COVID-19 and end up in the hospital, the key money things you need to worry about are your health plan’s network, its cost-sharing rules and the risk of surprise bills.

Here’s the lowdown for Kansans who have health insurance, including cost-sharing rules for major insurers and health plans in Kansas.

(Side note: If you don’t have insurance, you’re in an even more precarious situation. A typical COVID-19 hospital stay can easily add up to $20,000 at prices negotiated by insurers. The uninsured risk getting charged even higher amounts.)

You may not be able to stay in-network.

Many Kansas hospitals are so busy right now that they can’t take on more patients. Some have even had to divert ambulances to other hospitals. And some are sending critically ill patients in air ambulances to beds in other states hours away from home.

All of this means that you can’t count on getting admitted to a hospital within your insurance network if you wind up needing intensive care.

Those air ambulances — with their eye-popping bills — could also easily fall outside your network. Last year we wrote about one COVID-19 patient’s $80,000 bill for an air ambulance from southeast Kansas to Kansas City.

So what happens if you end up in an out-of-network ICU? Experts say you may end up paying out-of-network rates for that care, or need to spend long hours filing paperwork and talking to your insurance carrier, making your case that the bills should count as in-network because you had no control over which hospital had a bed available.

“The patient — or, in many cases, it’s going to be a family member — needs to talk to the insurance company right away,” said Jack Hoadley, a health policy researcher and professor emeritus at Georgetown University. “Ask the insurance company: ‘Will you treat me as in-network?’”

If all else fails and your health plan falls under state regulations, you can also contact the Kansas Insurance Department through its online complaint form to see if the agency can help. But many employer plans do not fall under state rules.

Cost-sharing waivers for COVID-19 hospital bills are disappearing.

The Kaiser Family Foundation found most of the biggest insurers in each state have dropped their cost-sharing waivers.

Below are several major insurers active in Kansas, but keep in mind that the rules may be different if you get your coverage through your employer.

For Aetna, United HealthCare and Cigna, regular cost-sharing applies to COVID-19 hospital bills. Oscar returns to regular cost-sharing on Aug. 31. Medica does at the end of September.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas will keep waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment until the end of the public health emergency or the end of this year — whichever comes first. And Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City will waive cost-sharing for inpatient COVID-19 care at least until the end of the year.

If you have KanCare (Medicaid), your COVID-19 treatment will not involve cost-sharing. If you have Medicare, the amount you pay out of pocket will depend on the details of your coverage.

Watch out for surprise billing, even though Congress tried to rein it in.

Normally, you can get billed directly by an out-of-network hospital or even by out-of-network doctors at an in-network hospital. These “surprise bills” happen when the hospital or doctor feels your insurance didn’t pay enough, and so they demand you pay the balance.

Congress tied strings to its COVID-19 stimulus funds last year to stop that, but those rules don’t apply to all health care providers. Moreover, Hoadley says it’s unclear how well the law is being enforced or followed.

Next year, things will get better. Congress banned most kinds of surprise billing — ground ambulances not included — for health plans that start on Jan. 1, 2022 or later.

COVID-19 vaccines are free. Many coronavirus tests are, too.

The shots that can help you avoid those hospital bills in the first place are free, whether you have insurance or not.

You can also get a free COVID-19 test by picking a site through Kansas’ online list of participating locations. No insurance or ID needed.

If you opt instead to go somewhere else and use your insurance, cost-sharing rules will depend on whether the test was medically necessary.

Lea esta historia en español.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia (at) kcur (dot) org.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.
See more at https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-08-30/landing-in-the-hospital-with-covid-19-is-getting-more-expensive-heres-why.

KU Health System is third local hospital network requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for all workers

The vaccine requirement applies to all employees, affiliated staff and contractors, students and volunteers.

by Dan Margolies, KCUR and Kansas News Service

The University of Kansas Health System is requiring COVID-19 vaccinations of all employees, students, contractors and volunteers, becoming the third area hospital system to do so.

The system, the area’s largest hospital network, said the majority of its physicians and employees have already been vaccinated, “and they strongly encourage our patients and their friends and family to also get vaccinated.”

The system has given affected workers until Dec. 1 to get vaccinated. KU Health System has more than 10,000 employees.

KU’s announcement comes two days after Saint Luke’s Health System announced it would require its employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Saint Luke’s announced its decision a little more than a month after Truman Medical Centers-University Health became the first local hospital system to mandate vaccinations for its employees.

Saint Luke’s said its decision followed what it called “a dramatic surge” in cases and hospitalizations across the Kansas City area, overwhelming hospital ICUs.

“Our job is to protect and care for the health of our patients. COVID-19 is spreading rapidly and is causing devastating loss,” Dr. Melinda L. Estes, president and CEO of Saint Luke’s, said in a news release. “As healthcare professionals, the most important action each of us can take to end this pandemic is to get vaccinated.”

As is the case with KU, the vaccine requirement applies to all Saint Luke’s employees, affiliated staff and contractors, students and volunteers. Anyone granted an exemption will have to undergo weekly COVID testing and monitoring.

Truman is requiring all members of its workforce to be vaccinated by Sept. 20. Leslie Carto, a spokeswoman for the hospital network, said that about 70% of the staff had been fully vaccinated a month ago.

FDA approval

The Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 23 granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of the disease in individuals 16 years of age and older.

The vaccine remains available under emergency use authorization for individuals 12 through 15 years of age and as booster shots for immunocompromised individuals.

Moderna has completed its submission for full FDA approval of its COVID-19 vaccine.

Just over 57% of Kansas’ eligible population has received at least one vaccine dose. In Missouri, that figure is nearly 53%.

As of Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 168.4 million Americans were fully vaccinated, or 49.6% of the overall U.S. population. Among those eligible for the vaccine — individuals 12 and older — 58.1% are fully vaccinated.

The overwhelming weight of medical evidence shows that the vaccines are highly effective at protecting against the risks of serious illness, hospitalization and death.

So far, vaccination rates in most parts of the United States are not high enough to confer herd immunity, meaning enough people in a community are protected from getting COVID-19 because they have been vaccinated or have already had the disease.

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.
Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished by news media at no cost with proper attribution and a link to ksnewsservice.org.

See more at https://www.kcur.org/health/2021-09-01/saint-lukes-becomes-second-local-hospital-system-to-require-covid-19-vaccinations-for-all-workers