In the News
By Sharice Davids
Driving into Kansas' 3rd District from the east, you see a sunflower-adorned sign that says, "Kansas welcomes you," followed by another: "Home state of Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th president."
Drive a little farther along the river and you'll see the 102-year-old Central Avenue bridge, which was closed indefinitely earlier this year due to fear of failure. Head south and you'll find the College Boulevard bridge over Indian Creek, one of the most traveled bridges in Kansas, which is still rated structurally deficient.
KMBC covers Rep. Sharice Davids as she urges people to take advantage of the American Rescue Plan's significant cost savings on health insurance.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., has released a new report detailing the impact of the American Rescue Plan on health care access and affordability in the 3rd District of Kansas.
Rep. Davids voted to pass the American Rescue Plan, which lowered health care costs for millions of Americans by reducing premium contributions and expanding access to health insurance tax credits.
Key findings from the report, prepared by the staff of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, include:
Relief has finally arrived for entertainment venues and production companies through the Kansas City region that were crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed an appropriations bill that includes $500,000 to start the upper Turkey Creek Levee project in downtown Merriam.
That's well short of the $43 million Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids requested for the upper Turkey Creek levee project, which would go toward building 3,300 feet of levee and more than 6,800 feet of 6.5-feet tall flood walls.
But the $500,000 approved would kick start the effort by allowing "the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin design and analysis of the project," according to Davids' office.
The U.S. House recently approved $15 million for projects sponsored by U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in the 3rd District.
The projects include $1 million for the University of Kansas Cancer Center, to purchase imaging equipment; $500,000 to start the Upper Turkey Creek Levee project in Merriam; and $1.9 million to purchase equipment for the Automation Engineering Technology Program at Kansas City Kansas Community College.
Expecting and new parents, this may affect you. It's called the "birthday rule."
Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids (D) introduced legislation last week hoping to make the process easier when the rule applies to families.
It's a long-standing practice by insurance companies. When both parents have separate insurance and a baby needs care at birth, in some states they will bill the parent's insurance who has the earlier birthday. Even if it's not what parents planned on.
The birth of 2-year-old Charlie was a blessing for the Kjelshus family, but immediately she struggled.
When Kayla Kjelshus gave birth to her first child, the infant spent seven days in the neonatal intensive care unit, known as the NICU. This stressful medical experience was followed by an equally stressful financial one. Because of an obscure health insurance policy called the "birthday rule," Kjelshus and her husband, Mikkel, were hit with an unexpected charge of more than $200,000 for the NICU stay.
By Katie Adams
In January, a Kansas couple shared the story of how they received a $270,951 medical bill after the birth of their first child — even though they're both insured. Now, a state representative is proposing legislation to ensure stories like theirs don't happen again.
U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., on Thursday introduced a bill aimed at helping expecting parents make the choice over which parent's insurance will cover their newborn's health care.
The bill will cut red tape, avoid surprise bills and let parents, not an insurance company, make the decision on insurance, according to Rep. Davids.