Insurance Coverage

Evonnia Woods is the Senior Outreach Producer for Reproaction, an advocacy organization focusing on reproductive justice.

In Missouri, Black women are “four times more likely to die within one year of pregnancy than white women,” according to the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services.

She spoke about the way that intersectional issues – like transportation, poverty and racism – can contribute to Black maternal and infant mortality.

This piece was reported and produced by Rachel Schnelle.

Jordan Richards and Tracy Davis both work at The Center Project, an LGBTQ+ resource and community center for Mid-Missouri. They spoke about what Medicaid expansion – or a lack thereof – could mean for transgender Missourians.

Recently, Missouri legislators have stood in the way of funding Medicaid expansion in the state – defying a constitutional amendment that was passed last year by voters – and neighboring states, like Arkansas, are passing legislation which would make providing gender affirming medical treatment to minors illegal.

Meaning it may soon be even more difficult for trans people to access healthcare – gender affirming or otherwise.

This piece was reported and produced by Hannah France.

Dr. Jennifer Su is an OB/GYN in Jefferson City and Lily Kraxberger is a student at the University of Missouri. Lily uses an online service to prescribe and mail her monthly birth control pills.

They spoke about how services like Pill Club and Nurx change the accessibility of birth control.

This piece was reported and produced by Veronica Mohesky. As a note, she and Lily are both involved with the Sexual Health Peer Educators group at MU.

Laurie Hines is the director of the Missouri Kidney Program and a living kidney donor for her partner, Ted.

She spoke at an event hosted by KBIA and Missouri Health Talks at Café Berlin this past winter a little bit about how being involved with a paired kidney transplant has impacted her and her advocacy.

Libby Brockman-Knight and Gaurav Kulkarni both work at Compass Health Network in Columbia. Brockman- Knight is the Deputy Chief clinical officer of substance use disorder services and Kulkarni is a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction.

Brockman-Knight spoke with Kulkarni about treatment for substance use disorders - specifically alcohol addiction and the numerous barriers that can exist for their patients.

JT Thomas is a senior at the University of Missouri and is studying biology and business. He spoke at an event hosted by KBIA and Missouri Health Talks at Café Berlin this past winter about organ transplantation.

JT was diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 20, and he spoke about the struggles that still exist in the life of a kidney transplant recipient – even four and a half years post-transplant.

Kevin Wehner and Scott Miniea both have backgrounds in education, but now, they work for nonprofit organizations in Columbia and use their teaching skills to help people navigate the healthcare system.

Kevin is a Certified Application Counselor for Central Missouri Community Action and Scott is the Executive Director of the Primaris Foundation. They spoke about some of the biggest issues for people when trying to enroll in health insurance and how people can take advantage of free resources to get the best possible health care.

Alissa Steward and Terilyn Harris are both juniors at Mizzou and are also roommates. While they live together now, they come from very different hometowns. Alissa is from El Dorado Springs, Missouri, which has a population of approximately 3,500 and Terilyn is from Atlanta.

They spoke about the differences and similarities that exist when it comes to access to healthcare in their hometowns.

Christina Jackson, along with her mother, Paula, and sister, Andrea, met me at an event called “The Art of the Scar” that was hosted by the Missouri Kidney Program in September.

Christina was diagnosed with lupus after high school, and then following issues with insurance coverage, she experienced kidney failure, numerous seizures, a stroke and a kidney transplant in her twenties

The family spoke about some of the ways they would like to see the healthcare industry change.

Christina Jackson, along with her mother, Paula, and sister, Andrea, met me at an event called “The Art of the Scar” that was hosted by the Missouri Kidney Program in September.

Christina was diagnosed with lupus after high school, and then following issues with insurance coverage, she experienced kidney failure, numerous seizures, dialysis, a stroke and a kidney transplant in her twenties

The family spoke about what they have learned from Christina and her experiences, and how they have dealt with it as a family. Christina is now healthy and graduated from college in December 2017.

DeAnna Quietwater Noriega and Gretchen Maune, who’s a friend of mine, both live in Columbia and are blind.

They recently spoke about some of their health conditions that exist separately from their blindness and about some of the additional barriers they come up against in the health care system as a result of their blindness.

Megan Anderson and Samantha Dyroff are both medical students at the University of Missouri. They also both work with MedZou, a student-run health clinic here in town, and hold positions within the organization. They spoke about some of the barriers – including insurance coverage – that their patients face.

Lonnie Kessler and Kimberly Ruiz are a couple that lives in Moberly. Lonnie has intractable epilepsy and Kimberly is a disabled vet - and they both advocate for the legalization of medical marijuana in the state.

They sat down at the Little Dixie Regional Library in Moberly, and spoke about their relationship and about how both of them having disabilities has influenced and strengthened their relationship.

Charley Joe Kallman is a resident of Pulaski County, Missouri, and he decided years ago that he wanted to make a change – he weighed more than 400 pounds, but was having trouble getting his insurance company to approve gastric bypass surgery.

So Charley and his husband, Danny Kallman, decided to go a different route – medical tourism. Charlie ended up going to Mexico to have the procedure done, and he now weighs 186 pounds.