BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Lawmakers voted to repeal the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act, a 1988 law now seen as a property rights violation and barrier to a fresh start after prison

One of the&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB495&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">most-watched bills</a>&nbsp;approved by Missouri lawmakers this year put the state&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/26/gov-mike-kehoe-signs-bill-to-put-st-louis-police-under-state-control/">back in control</a>&nbsp;of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

The police takeover provisions made the bill one of the most controversial of the session, and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/05/civil-rights-law-firm-sues-to-block-missouri-from-taking-over-st-louis-police/">sparked a lawsuit</a>, set for trial Nov. 5. But tucked inside, and noticed only by those watching closely, the bill also includes bipartisan provisions ending the practice of seizing assets from incarcerated people that are unrelated to their crimes.

Known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=217.825&amp;bid=11876&amp;hl=" target="_blank">Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act</a>, the law was passed in 1988, when any idea intended to make life harder for criminals received a favorable hearing. Now, the law is viewed as a violation of property rights and a barrier to a law-abiding life.

“We need to pay our debts to society,” state Rep. Tara Peters, a Rolla Republican, said in an interview with The Independent. “Those who have paid their debt to society should have every opportunity to have a fresh start and to get out on the right foot when it comes time to go back into society.”

Peters sponsored a bill with the repeal, as did state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat. It was added to the St. Louis police takeover bill to persuade Democrats in the Senate to end a filibuster.

Once enacted, it is one of two bills that will allow people under the control of the state to keep assets they would use when released. The other stops the state from taking&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/09/missouri-governor-signs-bill-banning-state-from-seizing-foster-kids-benefits/">foster children’s Social Security benefits</a>&nbsp;to cover the cost of foster care.

The incarceration reimbursement law was intended to take money from inmates to cover the cost of maintaining them in prison. The most recovered over the past five years is $523,000 in fiscal 2024, while the cost of operating the Department of Corrections is greater than $1 billion.

In the fiscal year that ended June 30, efforts to enforce the act brought in only $136,000.

“People who are incarcerated by the state should not have to pay like it’s a hotel or an Airbnb,” said Amy Malinowski, director of the Missouri office of the MacArthur Justice Center. “It’s a prison. It’s the state’s responsibility to maintain those prisons, not the people who are detained there.”

Missouri has laws allowing prosecutors to seize assets gained in a criminal enterprise, and the courts can enforce restitution for stolen or damaged property as part of a sentence. The incarceration reimbursement act allows the attorney general to seek other assets, such as a family inheritance or proceeds from the sale of a house, that are unrelated to the crime.

State Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis County, sponsored the St. Louis police bill and chaired a committee where Peters’ bill was discussed in February. It was an easy decision to accept Democratic requests to include the repeal, he said in an interview.

“Democrats support it from a criminal justice aspect and a number of Republicans supported this, too, because it’s just basic property rights,” Christ said.

Missouri’s prisons hold about 24,000 people. In any given year, about 11,000 will be released on parole or because they have completed their sentence. The goal of prison is to punish and to prepare inmates to live within society’s rules, Christ said.

The seized money can be an important part of avoiding a return to prison, he said.

“Whatever it may be, whether it’s two grand, 20 grand or 200 grand,” Christ said, “to knock someone down a peg while they are in prison, I thought, was a little unjust after their sentence has been fulfilled.”

Under the law, people sentenced to state prison are required to make a statement of their assets when they arrive in custody and, on release, allow the department to garnish their wages for five years.

The attorney general can file a lawsuit to seize any assets found or received by the incarcerated person.&nbsp;

With the repeal, the Department of Corrections is no longer requiring the statement of assets on entry, agency spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said in an email. But any current garnishments will be stopped only if the person making the payments petitions the courts to end them, she said.

At the House hearing in February, St. Louis attorney Bevis Schock, who has represented clients in civil litigation against the department, said he has won judgments that the attorney general then tried to seize.&nbsp;

Schock said he believes the law is unconstitutional and expected a court would rule that way in the future. But he still urged lawmakers to act.

“I hate criminals,” Schock said. “I don’t want to help them all. I want them to go to jail, but a criminal’s property should be as sacred as the property of a non-criminal.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756121643685.png" alt="State Rep. Tara Peters, R-Rolla, speaks during Missouri House floor debate in May. (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)" />
 <figcaption>State Rep. Tara Peters, R-Rolla, speaks during Missouri House floor debate in May. (Tim Bommel/Missouri House Communications)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">RUDI KELLER</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a><h2>Lawmakers voted to repeal the Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act, a 1988 law now seen as a property rights violation and barrier to a fresh start after prison</h2>One of the&nbsp;<a href="https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB495&amp;year=2025&amp;code=R" target="_blank">most-watched bills</a>&nbsp;approved by Missouri lawmakers this year put the state&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/26/gov-mike-kehoe-signs-bill-to-put-st-louis-police-under-state-control/">back in control</a>&nbsp;of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.The police takeover provisions made the bill one of the most controversial of the session, and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/05/civil-rights-law-firm-sues-to-block-missouri-from-taking-over-st-louis-police/">sparked a lawsuit</a>, set for trial Nov. 5. But tucked inside, and noticed only by those watching closely, the bill also includes bipartisan provisions ending the practice of seizing assets from incarcerated people that are unrelated to their crimes.Known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSection.aspx?section=217.825&amp;bid=11876&amp;hl=" target="_blank">Missouri Incarceration Reimbursement Act</a>, the law was passed in 1988, when any idea intended to make life harder for criminals received a favorable hearing. Now, the law is viewed as a violation of property rights and a barrier to a law-abiding life.“We need to pay our debts to society,” state Rep. Tara Peters, a Rolla Republican, said in an interview with The Independent. “Those who have paid their debt to society should have every opportunity to have a fresh start and to get out on the right foot when it comes time to go back into society.”Peters sponsored a bill with the repeal, as did state Sen. Stephen Webber, a Columbia Democrat. It was added to the St. Louis police takeover bill to persuade Democrats in the Senate to end a filibuster.Once enacted, it is one of two bills that will allow people under the control of the state to keep assets they would use when released. The other stops the state from taking&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/09/missouri-governor-signs-bill-banning-state-from-seizing-foster-kids-benefits/">foster children’s Social Security benefits</a>&nbsp;to cover the cost of foster care.The incarceration reimbursement law was intended to take money from inmates to cover the cost of maintaining them in prison. The most recovered over the past five years is $523,000 in fiscal 2024, while the cost of operating the Department of Corrections is greater than $1 billion.In the fiscal year that ended June 30, efforts to enforce the act brought in only $136,000.“People who are incarcerated by the state should not have to pay like it’s a hotel or an Airbnb,” said Amy Malinowski, director of the Missouri office of the MacArthur Justice Center. “It’s a prison. It’s the state’s responsibility to maintain those prisons, not the people who are detained there.”Missouri has laws allowing prosecutors to seize assets gained in a criminal enterprise, and the courts can enforce restitution for stolen or damaged property as part of a sentence. The incarceration reimbursement act allows the attorney general to seek other assets, such as a family inheritance or proceeds from the sale of a house, that are unrelated to the crime.State Rep. Brad Christ, a Republican from St. Louis County, sponsored the St. Louis police bill and chaired a committee where Peters’ bill was discussed in February. It was an easy decision to accept Democratic requests to include the repeal, he said in an interview.“Democrats support it from a criminal justice aspect and a number of Republicans supported this, too, because it’s just basic property rights,” Christ said.Missouri’s prisons hold about 24,000 people. In any given year, about 11,000 will be released on parole or because they have completed their sentence. The goal of prison is to punish and to prepare inmates to live within society’s rules, Christ said.The seized money can be an important part of avoiding a return to prison, he said.“Whatever it may be, whether it’s two grand, 20 grand or 200 grand,” Christ said, “to knock someone down a peg while they are in prison, I thought, was a little unjust after their sentence has been fulfilled.”Under the law, people sentenced to state prison are required to make a statement of their assets when they arrive in custody and, on release, allow the department to garnish their wages for five years.The attorney general can file a lawsuit to seize any assets found or received by the incarcerated person.&nbsp;With the repeal, the Department of Corrections is no longer requiring the statement of assets on entry, agency spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said in an email. But any current garnishments will be stopped only if the person making the payments petitions the courts to end them, she said.At the House hearing in February, St. Louis attorney Bevis Schock, who has represented clients in civil litigation against the department, said he has won judgments that the attorney general then tried to seize.&nbsp;Schock said he believes the law is unconstitutional and expected a court would rule that way in the future. But he still urged lawmakers to act.“I hate criminals,” Schock said. “I don’t want to help them all. I want them to go to jail, but a criminal’s property should be as sacred as the property of a non-criminal.”

New Missouri law means state is no longer allowed to seize assets of prison inmates

In Missouri, nearly 42% of counties are defined as maternity care deserts, higher than the nationwide average. Rural families face fewer options and greater distances to get OB-GYN care

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">Meg Cunningham</a>

For Dr. Kelsey Davis-Humes, practicing medicine in rural Missouri is a way of life. She’s on call almost constantly in northeast Missouri’s Scotland County, where she cares for patients from their birth until their death.

As an osteopath practicing in a rural community, part of her job includes caring for patients throughout their pregnancies.

“I do inpatient hospital coverage,” Davis-Humes said. “I deliver babies and do women’s health. I do pediatric care, newborn care. I am in the clinic. I go to the nursing home.”

While her area hasn’t lost an obstetrics unit in recent years, Davis-Humes has seen the impact on the state as a whole as pregnancy care becomes more difficult to access.

Missouri has lost 11 obstetric units since 2009, with seven of those in rural parts of the state, a&nbsp;<a href="https://rhrc.umn.edu/publication/loss-of-hospital-based-obstetric-services-in-rural-counties-in-the-united-states-2010-2022/" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center found. The closure of hospital obstetric units means women have to travel farther for their appointments and their deliveries.

As the units have closed, more parts of the state have fallen into maternity care deserts — areas without access to birth units or maternity care providers.

Based on 2023 data, Missouri is marked by more maternity care deserts than the nation as a whole. March of Dimes&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/state-summaries/missouri?lev=1&amp;obj=3&amp;reg=99&amp;slev=4&amp;sreg=29&amp;stop=55&amp;top=3" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;shows that 41.7% of Missouri’s counties are classified as maternity care deserts, compared to 32.6% nationwide.

Part of the problem for rural providers? Medicaid payments. The government-sponsored health insurance plans do not reimburse obstetric care fully, meaning for every baby they deliver, the hospital takes a loss.

“Every hospital who does birth services loses money,” said Alison Williams, vice president of clinical quality improvement at the Missouri Hospital Association. Williams also leads Missouri’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative, a statewide task force dedicated to improving outcomes for moms and babies across the state.

In Missouri, about 40% of the state’s births were&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2023/05/12/missouri-postpartum-medicaid-expansion-2023/" target="_blank">covered by Medicaid</a>&nbsp;in 2023, KFF&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/key-facts-about-hospitals/?entry=use-of-hospital-care-pregnancy-amp-hospitalizations" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;shows.

As Medicaid cuts under President Donald Trump’s budget plan begin to materialize, anywhere from 130,000 to 170,000 Missourians are expected to lose their coverage over the next five years. The budget also changes how states can pay for Medicaid patients — and how much.

“We are going to be paid less,” said Craig Thompson, the CEO of Golden Valley Memorial Hospital in Clinton.

That could put rural hospitals with obstetric units at higher risk when it comes to continuing to offer their services, and will require more creative thinking from Missouri and its health care providers.

Rural Missouri’s maternity care shortage&nbsp;

Missouri’s health care challenges are compounded when it comes to maternity care. As health care services become more difficult to access, chronic conditions rise and lead to more complicated pregnancies.

Then, obstetric providers and care teams must be prepared to take on more high-risk pregnancies.

In Missouri, 68.7% of counties have a high burden of chronic health conditions and a high rate of preterm births, March of Dimes data shows, higher than the nationwide average. An estimated 45.5% of women living in Missouri had one or more chronic health conditions, compared to 37.8% nationwide.

“In general, you see more high-risk patients,” Davis-Humes said. “People are sicker, they’re more unhealthy, so we just see more patients that have more of these high risk conditions during their pregnancy.”

An added layer is the growing distance that rural women in Missouri must travel to get their care. Women living in maternity deserts — just over 40% of the counties in Missouri — have to travel 3.6 times farther than women living in areas with full access to maternity care.

That means things like prenatal care and regular checkups are even farther out of reach, and missing appointments raises the risk during pregnancy even more.

That’s showing up in Clinton and impacting how Thompson and his team think about maternity care. At their hospital, 63% of about 350 deliveries that happen every year are considered high-risk.

“Many Medicaid patients don’t have access to transportation, either they cannot afford transportation or there is no public transportation in rural Missouri,” Thompson said. “So without transportation access, people don’t have the ability to access that prenatal care, which then causes poor birth outcomes.”

And with high-risk pregnancies, soon-to-be moms in rural areas are drawn to more robust hospital systems with more speciality providers.

The downside to that, Williams said, is people who have the ability to travel to a larger hospital often take their commercial insurance with them, driving up the rate of deliveries that are covered by Medicaid for their nearby hospital and making it even harder to continue providing labor and delivery services.

“It creates an even larger, disproportionate share of Medicaid and vulnerable patients, or patients who don’t end up engaging in prenatal services,” Williams said.

As a hospital leader, Thompson and his team are committed to continuing to provide obstetric services in their hospital. But because so many of their births are covered by Medicaid and cost more than what they are paid, they rely on other services to cover that loss.

“If we were to look at those services on their own, they would be a significant financial drain to the system,” Thompson said. “We are kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul, to some extent.”

Plus, obstetricians and gynecologists, like most other medical providers, are looking for work-life balance, such as splitting their patient loads with multiple providers and other upsides that often come with working in a more populated area.

It can be difficult for rural providers to balance all of those needs, especially since monitoring labor and deliveries are so sporadic.

“If you have enough providers, you will likely have enough (patient) volume,” Williams said of rural providers looking to keep their birth units open. “The challenge is making sure you can maintain enough providers to where they have that work-life balance.”

What do health leaders want to see for OB-GYN providers moving forward?&nbsp;

As providers look to fill the gaps in maternal care, they’re leaning on innovative ways to ensure that every Missouri mother has access to adequate care.

For example, providers in Harrison County, which sits in northwest Missouri along the Iowa border, created a partnership with North Kansas City Hospital for labor and deliveries. Expecting mothers get prenatal care in the county, but travel to Kansas City for their deliveries. Afterward, patients are handed back to their providers in Harrison County.

Those types of partnerships are key to ensuring that mothers are followed every step of the way throughout their pregnancies, Williams said. Creating similar partnerships is one of the state’s goals moving forward.

“It’s important to have that good flow of prenatal records,” Williams said. “It’s important to have that connectivity, that handoff for the patient, so the patient feels like people know what’s going on with their care.”

The state is also focusing on recruitment and retention as part of the path to solving the problem. Davis-Humes mentors many aspiring doctors, who say that the workload of being on call constantly in rural communities is a deterrent for them.

“You’ve got to have people that are willing to come to an area and wear multiple hats, and also be willing to be called in in the middle of the night, too,” she said.

But she also wants to see more unique ways of encouraging rural providers to continue providing a service that makes them lose money.

“I think the state needs to put their money where their mouth is,” Davis-Humes said.

“We keep seeing all these birth centers close. We keep seeing that OB has a hard time making money … I think there should be some type of reward there,” she said. “You keep your OB center open, every year you get some sort of incentive from the state that says ‘Thank you … we’re going to help support you so you can continue to keep that OB unit open.’”

Although hospital executives are expecting to reassess their finances and the services they provide in the coming years as a result of Medicaid cuts, they are encouraged that they are seeing a new willingness to discuss the financial difficulties rural providers face.

“At some point, there has got to be real reform around reimbursement for rural health care services,” Thompson said. “We’re just not the same as our urban and suburban counterparts.”

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/08/22/maternity-care-closures-rural-missouri-hospitals-ob-gyn/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Missouri</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1756035245972.png" alt="As health care services become more difficult to access, chronic conditions rise and lead to more complicated pregnancies (Naomi O’Donnell/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption>As health care services become more difficult to access, chronic conditions rise and lead to more complicated pregnancies (Naomi O’Donnell/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>In Missouri, nearly 42% of counties are defined as maternity care deserts, higher than the nationwide average. Rural families face fewer options and greater distances to get OB-GYN care</h2>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">Meg Cunningham</a>For Dr. Kelsey Davis-Humes, practicing medicine in rural Missouri is a way of life. She’s on call almost constantly in northeast Missouri’s Scotland County, where she cares for patients from their birth until their death.As an osteopath practicing in a rural community, part of her job includes caring for patients throughout their pregnancies.“I do inpatient hospital coverage,” Davis-Humes said. “I deliver babies and do women’s health. I do pediatric care, newborn care. I am in the clinic. I go to the nursing home.”While her area hasn’t lost an obstetrics unit in recent years, Davis-Humes has seen the impact on the state as a whole as pregnancy care becomes more difficult to access.Missouri has lost 11 obstetric units since 2009, with seven of those in rural parts of the state, a&nbsp;<a href="https://rhrc.umn.edu/publication/loss-of-hospital-based-obstetric-services-in-rural-counties-in-the-united-states-2010-2022/" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center found. The closure of hospital obstetric units means women have to travel farther for their appointments and their deliveries.As the units have closed, more parts of the state have fallen into maternity care deserts — areas without access to birth units or maternity care providers.Based on 2023 data, Missouri is marked by more maternity care deserts than the nation as a whole. March of Dimes&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/state-summaries/missouri?lev=1&amp;obj=3&amp;reg=99&amp;slev=4&amp;sreg=29&amp;stop=55&amp;top=3" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;shows that 41.7% of Missouri’s counties are classified as maternity care deserts, compared to 32.6% nationwide.Part of the problem for rural providers? Medicaid payments. The government-sponsored health insurance plans do not reimburse obstetric care fully, meaning for every baby they deliver, the hospital takes a loss.“Every hospital who does birth services loses money,” said Alison Williams, vice president of clinical quality improvement at the Missouri Hospital Association. Williams also leads Missouri’s Perinatal Quality Collaborative, a statewide task force dedicated to improving outcomes for moms and babies across the state.In Missouri, about 40% of the state’s births were&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2023/05/12/missouri-postpartum-medicaid-expansion-2023/" target="_blank">covered by Medicaid</a>&nbsp;in 2023, KFF&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/key-facts-about-hospitals/?entry=use-of-hospital-care-pregnancy-amp-hospitalizations" target="_blank">data</a>&nbsp;shows.As Medicaid cuts under President Donald Trump’s budget plan begin to materialize, anywhere from 130,000 to 170,000 Missourians are expected to lose their coverage over the next five years. The budget also changes how states can pay for Medicaid patients — and how much.“We are going to be paid less,” said Craig Thompson, the CEO of Golden Valley Memorial Hospital in Clinton.That could put rural hospitals with obstetric units at higher risk when it comes to continuing to offer their services, and will require more creative thinking from Missouri and its health care providers.<h2>Rural Missouri’s maternity care shortage&nbsp;</h2>Missouri’s health care challenges are compounded when it comes to maternity care. As health care services become more difficult to access, chronic conditions rise and lead to more complicated pregnancies.Then, obstetric providers and care teams must be prepared to take on more high-risk pregnancies.In Missouri, 68.7% of counties have a high burden of chronic health conditions and a high rate of preterm births, March of Dimes data shows, higher than the nationwide average. An estimated 45.5% of women living in Missouri had one or more chronic health conditions, compared to 37.8% nationwide.“In general, you see more high-risk patients,” Davis-Humes said. “People are sicker, they’re more unhealthy, so we just see more patients that have more of these high risk conditions during their pregnancy.”An added layer is the growing distance that rural women in Missouri must travel to get their care. Women living in maternity deserts — just over 40% of the counties in Missouri — have to travel 3.6 times farther than women living in areas with full access to maternity care.That means things like prenatal care and regular checkups are even farther out of reach, and missing appointments raises the risk during pregnancy even more.That’s showing up in Clinton and impacting how Thompson and his team think about maternity care. At their hospital, 63% of about 350 deliveries that happen every year are considered high-risk.“Many Medicaid patients don’t have access to transportation, either they cannot afford transportation or there is no public transportation in rural Missouri,” Thompson said. “So without transportation access, people don’t have the ability to access that prenatal care, which then causes poor birth outcomes.”And with high-risk pregnancies, soon-to-be moms in rural areas are drawn to more robust hospital systems with more speciality providers.The downside to that, Williams said, is people who have the ability to travel to a larger hospital often take their commercial insurance with them, driving up the rate of deliveries that are covered by Medicaid for their nearby hospital and making it even harder to continue providing labor and delivery services.“It creates an even larger, disproportionate share of Medicaid and vulnerable patients, or patients who don’t end up engaging in prenatal services,” Williams said.As a hospital leader, Thompson and his team are committed to continuing to provide obstetric services in their hospital. But because so many of their births are covered by Medicaid and cost more than what they are paid, they rely on other services to cover that loss.“If we were to look at those services on their own, they would be a significant financial drain to the system,” Thompson said. “We are kind of robbing Peter to pay Paul, to some extent.”Plus, obstetricians and gynecologists, like most other medical providers, are looking for work-life balance, such as splitting their patient loads with multiple providers and other upsides that often come with working in a more populated area.It can be difficult for rural providers to balance all of those needs, especially since monitoring labor and deliveries are so sporadic.“If you have enough providers, you will likely have enough (patient) volume,” Williams said of rural providers looking to keep their birth units open. “The challenge is making sure you can maintain enough providers to where they have that work-life balance.”<h2>What do health leaders want to see for OB-GYN providers moving forward?&nbsp;</h2>As providers look to fill the gaps in maternal care, they’re leaning on innovative ways to ensure that every Missouri mother has access to adequate care.For example, providers in Harrison County, which sits in northwest Missouri along the Iowa border, created a partnership with North Kansas City Hospital for labor and deliveries. Expecting mothers get prenatal care in the county, but travel to Kansas City for their deliveries. Afterward, patients are handed back to their providers in Harrison County.Those types of partnerships are key to ensuring that mothers are followed every step of the way throughout their pregnancies, Williams said. Creating similar partnerships is one of the state’s goals moving forward.“It’s important to have that good flow of prenatal records,” Williams said. “It’s important to have that connectivity, that handoff for the patient, so the patient feels like people know what’s going on with their care.”The state is also focusing on recruitment and retention as part of the path to solving the problem. Davis-Humes mentors many aspiring doctors, who say that the workload of being on call constantly in rural communities is a deterrent for them.“You’ve got to have people that are willing to come to an area and wear multiple hats, and also be willing to be called in in the middle of the night, too,” she said.But she also wants to see more unique ways of encouraging rural providers to continue providing a service that makes them lose money.“I think the state needs to put their money where their mouth is,” Davis-Humes said.“We keep seeing all these birth centers close. We keep seeing that OB has a hard time making money … I think there should be some type of reward there,” she said. “You keep your OB center open, every year you get some sort of incentive from the state that says ‘Thank you … we’re going to help support you so you can continue to keep that OB unit open.’”Although hospital executives are expecting to reassess their finances and the services they provide in the coming years as a result of Medicaid cuts, they are encouraged that they are seeing a new willingness to discuss the financial difficulties rural providers face.“At some point, there has got to be real reform around reimbursement for rural health care services,” Thompson said. “We’re just not the same as our urban and suburban counterparts.”This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/08/22/maternity-care-closures-rural-missouri-hospitals-ob-gyn/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Missouri</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

As rural maternity care units close, Missouri families lose options

ATCHISON COUNTY, Missouri —One person was injured in an accident just after 3p.m. Saturday in Atchison County, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Chevy Silverado driven by a 53-year-old Platte City man was southbound on Interstate 29 nine miles north of Rock Port.&nbsp; The pickup traveled off the east side of the road, crossed into northbound lanes, struck a fence, a ditch and rolled onto its top.

The driver was air-lifted to University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

ATCHISON COUNTY, Missouri —One person was injured in an accident just after 3p.m. Saturday in Atchison County, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2021 Chevy Silverado driven by a 53-year-old Platte City man was southbound on Interstate 29 nine miles north of Rock Port.&nbsp; The pickup traveled off the east side of the road, crossed into northbound lanes, struck a fence, a ditch and rolled onto its top.The driver was air-lifted to University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. man airlifted to hospital after pickup rollover crash

ANDREW COUNTY —Four people were injured in an accident just before 5p.m. Friday in Andrew County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Ram 1500 driven by an 18-year-old Highland, Kansas, man was westbound on Route O near county Road 290 just west of Cosby. The driver lost control of the pickup. It traveled off the north side of the road, struck the ground with the front bumper, traveled down an embankment and struck the ground a second time.&nbsp; The vehicle was driven to a controlled stop.

EMS transported the driver and three passengers including a 19-year-old man and an 18-year-old man from St. Joseph and a 19-year-old woman from Sargent, Nebraska to Mosaic Life Care. Only the driver was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

ANDREW COUNTY —Four people were injured in an accident just before 5p.m. Friday in Andrew County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Ram 1500 driven by an 18-year-old Highland, Kansas, man was westbound on Route O near county Road 290 just west of Cosby. The driver lost control of the pickup. It traveled off the north side of the road, struck the ground with the front bumper, traveled down an embankment and struck the ground a second time.&nbsp; The vehicle was driven to a controlled stop.EMS transported the driver and three passengers including a 19-year-old man and an 18-year-old man from St. Joseph and a 19-year-old woman from Sargent, Nebraska to Mosaic Life Care. Only the driver was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

2 teens from St. Joe among 4 injured in pickup crash

CALDWELL COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just before 7p.m. Friday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 GMC Yukon driven by a 44-year-old Cowgil man was westbound on Highway F three miles south of Kingston. The driver failed to stop at the stop sign at MO 13.&nbsp; A northbound 2022 Ford Escape driven by a 20-year-old Braymer woman struck the Yukon.

EMS transported the Ford driver to Mosaic Life Care and the driver and a passenger in the Yukon to Cameron Regional Medical Center.&nbsp; All three were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CALDWELL COUNTY—Three people were injured in an accident just before 7p.m. Friday in Caldwell County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2013 GMC Yukon driven by a 44-year-old Cowgil man was westbound on Highway F three miles south of Kingston. The driver failed to stop at the stop sign at MO 13.&nbsp; A northbound 2022 Ford Escape driven by a 20-year-old Braymer woman struck the Yukon.EMS transported the Ford driver to Mosaic Life Care and the driver and a passenger in the Yukon to Cameron Regional Medical Center.&nbsp; All three were properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

3 hospitalized after SUVs collide on Missouri highway

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on new allegations after an arrest.

Shortly before 5p.m. on Thursday an officer on patrol observed 44-year-old Richard Burge II walking in the 900 Block of Main Street, according to. Police Chief Mike Wilson 

Burge was taken into custody on requested charges that include four outstanding District Court warrants for failure to appear in court. 

When taken into custody he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755869162621.png" alt="Burge photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Burge photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on new allegations after an arrest.Shortly before 5p.m. on Thursday an officer on patrol observed 44-year-old Richard Burge II walking in the 900 Block of Main Street, according to. Police Chief Mike Wilson Burge was taken into custody on requested charges that include four outstanding District Court warrants for failure to appear in court. When taken into custody he was found to be in possession of methamphetamine.

Kan. man who keeps skipping court is caught with meth

CALDWELL COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 9a.m. Thursday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1992 Freightliner semi driven by a 65-year-old Hamilton man was northbound on MO 13 at East Putnum just north of Hamilton. The semi traveled off the right side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle traveled off the south side of the road and came to rest on its wheels.

Caldwell County EMS transported the driver to Cameron Regional Medical Center. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

CALDWELL COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just before 9a.m. Thursday in Caldwell County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1992 Freightliner semi driven by a 65-year-old Hamilton man was northbound on MO 13 at East Putnum just north of Hamilton. The semi traveled off the right side of the road and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle traveled off the south side of the road and came to rest on its wheels.Caldwell County EMS transported the driver to Cameron Regional Medical Center. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri man injured after semi accident

BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a drug bust at a Kansas home.

Based on an intensive investigation by the Brown&nbsp; County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force,&nbsp; a search warrant was applied for and granted for a residence at 645 West 13th Street in Horton, Kansas, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

Just after 7:30 p.m. August 19, deputies initiated the search warrant at that residence.&nbsp; Approximately 7 grams of Methamphetamine, Over 2 pounds of Marijuana, various meth pipes, bongs, marijuana pipes, scales, grinders, baggies&nbsp; and numerous&nbsp; firearms were located as well as a .22 pistol which was&nbsp; confirmed stolen out of Michigan and&nbsp; seized as evidence.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Up onconclusion of the warrant, Gayleen Koon&nbsp;&nbsp; 43 Horton was arrested on requested charges of&nbsp; Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of DrugParaphernalia, Distribution of Meth 3.5&lt;100 Grams, Distribution ofMarijuana 450 Grams&gt;30 KG and No Drug Tax Stamp.&nbsp; Horton police assisted with the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755708932837.png" alt="Photo Brown Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Brown Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after a drug bust at a Kansas home.Based on an intensive investigation by the Brown&nbsp; County Sheriff's Office Drug Task Force,&nbsp; a search warrant was applied for and granted for a residence at 645 West 13th Street in Horton, Kansas, according to Sheriff John Merchant.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755708861920.png" alt="Koon photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>Koon photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 7:30 p.m. August 19, deputies initiated the search warrant at that residence.&nbsp; Approximately 7 grams of Methamphetamine, Over 2 pounds of Marijuana, various meth pipes, bongs, marijuana pipes, scales, grinders, baggies&nbsp; and numerous&nbsp; firearms were located as well as a .22 pistol which was&nbsp; confirmed stolen out of Michigan and&nbsp; seized as evidence.&nbsp;&nbsp; Up onconclusion of the warrant, Gayleen Koon&nbsp;&nbsp; 43 Horton was arrested on requested charges of&nbsp; Possession of Meth, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of DrugParaphernalia, Distribution of Meth 3.5&lt;100 Grams, Distribution ofMarijuana 450 Grams&gt;30 KG and No Drug Tax Stamp.&nbsp; Horton police assisted with the investigation.

Deputies seize meth, marijuana and stolen gun at Kansas home

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30 a.m. Thursday in Andrew County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota Corolla driven by a 22-year-old St. Joseph man was northbound on U.S. 71 two miles west of Savannah. The car struck a deer, traveled off the road, down an embankment and overturned..&nbsp;

Andrew County EMS transported the driver to Mosaic Life Care. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP. The Patol no longer releases names of accident victims.

ANDREW COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 6:30 a.m. Thursday in Andrew County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota Corolla driven by a 22-year-old St. Joseph man was northbound on U.S. 71 two miles west of Savannah. The car struck a deer, traveled off the road, down an embankment and overturned..&nbsp;Andrew County EMS transported the driver to Mosaic Life Care. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP. The Patol no longer releases names of accident victims.

St. Joe man injured after car strikes a deer, overturns

DAVIESS COUNTY —A Missouri teen was injured in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday in Daviess County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Chevy Silverado driven by a 74-year-old Chillicothe man was northbound on MO 190 two miles south of Jamesport. The front of the pickup struck the rear drivers side of a horse and buggy driven by a 15-year-old Jamesport boy.&nbsp; The teen was ejected from the vehicle into the ditch.

Daviess County EMS transported the teen to Children's Mercy. The pickup driver was not wearing a seat belt and not injured, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686146756144.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>DAVIESS COUNTY —A Missouri teen was injured in an accident just after 4:30p.m. Wednesday in Daviess County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2019 Chevy Silverado driven by a 74-year-old Chillicothe man was northbound on MO 190 two miles south of Jamesport. The front of the pickup struck the rear drivers side of a horse and buggy driven by a 15-year-old Jamesport boy.&nbsp; The teen was ejected from the vehicle into the ditch.Daviess County EMS transported the teen to Children's Mercy. The pickup driver was not wearing a seat belt and not injured, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. teen injured after pickup rear-ends horse and buggy

BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an incident in Missouri.

Just after 10:30a.m. Tuesday, Nodaway County, Missouri law enforcement notified Brown County law enforcement dispatch about a man, identified as 41-year-old Matthew Olson from Hiawatha, Kansas who was involved as a suspect in a&nbsp; "shots fired" incident in their county, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.

Olson was reported driving a gold or tan SUV type vehicle with a Kansas license plate.&nbsp; Brown County deputies , KHP, Hiawatha Police, Sac and Fox, Iowa and Kickapoo Police all staged at various areas of the county to try and intercept the vehicle should Olson try and returnt o Hiawatha.&nbsp;

Just before noon, the vehicle was stopped in Hiawatha in the Carpet Plus parking lot and Olson taken into custody without incident.

Olson is being held in the Brown County jail on requested Nodaway County charges of Criminal Discharge of a Weapon, Telecom Harassment, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/8/1755708670405.png" alt="Olson photo Brown County" />
 <figcaption>Olson photo Brown County</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an incident in Missouri.Just after 10:30a.m. Tuesday, Nodaway County, Missouri law enforcement notified Brown County law enforcement dispatch about a man, identified as 41-year-old Matthew Olson from Hiawatha, Kansas who was involved as a suspect in a&nbsp; "shots fired" incident in their county, according to Brown County Sheriff John Merchant.Olson was reported driving a gold or tan SUV type vehicle with a Kansas license plate.&nbsp; Brown County deputies , KHP, Hiawatha Police, Sac and Fox, Iowa and Kickapoo Police all staged at various areas of the county to try and intercept the vehicle should Olson try and returnt o Hiawatha.&nbsp;Just before noon, the vehicle was stopped in Hiawatha in the Carpet Plus parking lot and Olson taken into custody without incident.Olson is being held in the Brown County jail on requested Nodaway County charges of Criminal Discharge of a Weapon, Telecom Harassment, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.

Kansas man captured after alleged crimes in Nodaway County

Following the passage of a law banning mobile phone use, school boards have quickly adopted policies banning the devices from bell to bell

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hanshaw</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

Amidst a plethora of back-to-school reminders, Missouri public schools are making a special effort to inform parents about a new state law banning cell phones during the school day.

The law, signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe in July, requires school districts to set a policy barring students from using mobile devices except for in emergencies or when instructed by a teacher. And with most students returning to classrooms this week, districts have been warning parents about the new expectations.

“I don’t know any district that’s fighting this,” Susan Goldammer, policy chief for the Missouri School Boards’ Association, told The Independent. “Most of the folks that I’ve spoken to are secretly quite happy that they have a little bit of additional authority to explain to parents why (devices) are not allowed.”

Goldammer wrote the association’s model policy that many Missouri school boards have personalized and adopted within the last month. Districts have asked about details, like exceptions for students with medical issues requiring access to cell phones, but they are largely ready to start the school year with the new policy.

Some Missouri districts already had bans on cell phones, while others were considering adding restrictions. For them, the law is a welcome addition and helps fight any pushback from parents and students.

“I have been surprised at how easy it was for districts to do this, and I can’t help but think that’s because all of the adults now are realizing it is not good to have the kind of electronic connectivity that kids have all the time,” Goldammer said.

The law is more restrictive than other states by banning cell phone usage throughout the entire school day instead of only during instructional time. But it allows for some nuances, giving districts the ability to choose how to enforce the policy and how devices will be stored.

Most districts have told parents that smartwatches are barred, citing the law’s ban of any “portable device that is used to initiate, receive, store, or view communication, information, images or data electronically.”

The Rockwood School District in Eureka,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.parentsquare.com/feeds/54342171" target="_blank">in a message to parents</a>, indicated that it wasn’t completely banning smartwatches but that it expects students “to only use their smartwatch for the purpose of keeping time and not for communication purposes during school hours.”

The North Kansas City School District, though, will restrict all uses of smartwatches. The district included the question “Can my student wear their smartwatch if they aren’t using it for communication?” on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nkcschools.org/district/dept/technology/personal-device-policy" target="_blank">its website</a>, telling parents that smartwatches are barred but fitness trackers without message capabilities are allowed.

Districts also have different expectations on how devices will be stowed, though most are allowing students to have their devices turned off in their backpacks.

St. Louis Public Schools’ board of education approved a policy that allows for each school to choose its phone-collection method.&nbsp;

“This flexibility acknowledges the diverse operational needs and preferences expressed by elementary and secondary staff and families,” Superintendent Millicent Borishade wrote in her August&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slps.org/Page/81605" target="_blank">newsletter</a>.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://slps.community.highbond.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=520" target="_blank">its Aug. 12 meeting</a>, the board also approved the purchase of locking phone pouches from Yondr for Gateway STEM High School at a cost of $40,000.

Goldammer anticipates that more districts will be considering purchasing phone-storage systems and evolving their policies before next school year. With a little over a month between the law’s passage and the first day of school, districts had time to set policies, but many were not able to make large purchases that quickly, she said.

But for now, administrators will be working on the best ways to execute the policy.

“There will be a learning curve,” Goldammer said. “There will be kids that break the rules. There always are.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1679496400146.jpg" alt="image Pixaby" />
 <figcaption>image Pixaby</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Following the passage of a law banning mobile phone use, school boards have quickly adopted policies banning the devices from bell to bell</h2>By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hanshaw</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>Amidst a plethora of back-to-school reminders, Missouri public schools are making a special effort to inform parents about a new state law banning cell phones during the school day.The law, signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe in July, requires school districts to set a policy barring students from using mobile devices except for in emergencies or when instructed by a teacher. And with most students returning to classrooms this week, districts have been warning parents about the new expectations.“I don’t know any district that’s fighting this,” Susan Goldammer, policy chief for the Missouri School Boards’ Association, told The Independent. “Most of the folks that I’ve spoken to are secretly quite happy that they have a little bit of additional authority to explain to parents why (devices) are not allowed.”Goldammer wrote the association’s model policy that many Missouri school boards have personalized and adopted within the last month. Districts have asked about details, like exceptions for students with medical issues requiring access to cell phones, but they are largely ready to start the school year with the new policy.Some Missouri districts already had bans on cell phones, while others were considering adding restrictions. For them, the law is a welcome addition and helps fight any pushback from parents and students.“I have been surprised at how easy it was for districts to do this, and I can’t help but think that’s because all of the adults now are realizing it is not good to have the kind of electronic connectivity that kids have all the time,” Goldammer said.The law is more restrictive than other states by banning cell phone usage throughout the entire school day instead of only during instructional time. But it allows for some nuances, giving districts the ability to choose how to enforce the policy and how devices will be stored.Most districts have told parents that smartwatches are barred, citing the law’s ban of any “portable device that is used to initiate, receive, store, or view communication, information, images or data electronically.”The Rockwood School District in Eureka,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.parentsquare.com/feeds/54342171" target="_blank">in a message to parents</a>, indicated that it wasn’t completely banning smartwatches but that it expects students “to only use their smartwatch for the purpose of keeping time and not for communication purposes during school hours.”The North Kansas City School District, though, will restrict all uses of smartwatches. The district included the question “Can my student wear their smartwatch if they aren’t using it for communication?” on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nkcschools.org/district/dept/technology/personal-device-policy" target="_blank">its website</a>, telling parents that smartwatches are barred but fitness trackers without message capabilities are allowed.Districts also have different expectations on how devices will be stowed, though most are allowing students to have their devices turned off in their backpacks.St. Louis Public Schools’ board of education approved a policy that allows for each school to choose its phone-collection method.&nbsp;“This flexibility acknowledges the diverse operational needs and preferences expressed by elementary and secondary staff and families,” Superintendent Millicent Borishade wrote in her August&nbsp;<a href="https://www.slps.org/Page/81605" target="_blank">newsletter</a>.In&nbsp;<a href="https://slps.community.highbond.com/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Id=520" target="_blank">its Aug. 12 meeting</a>, the board also approved the purchase of locking phone pouches from Yondr for Gateway STEM High School at a cost of $40,000.Goldammer anticipates that more districts will be considering purchasing phone-storage systems and evolving their policies before next school year. With a little over a month between the law’s passage and the first day of school, districts had time to set policies, but many were not able to make large purchases that quickly, she said.But for now, administrators will be working on the best ways to execute the policy.“There will be a learning curve,” Goldammer said. “There will be kids that break the rules. There always are.”

Missouri districts begin new school year with state-mandated cell-phone ban

Certain raw frozen shrimp products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (doing business as BMS Foods), a company located in Indonesia, and sold at Walmart stores in Missouri and a dozen other states, according to a statement from the FDA.

These products include the following product names, lot codes, and best by dates:&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-advises-public-not-eat-sell-or-serve-certain-imported-frozen-shrimp-indonesian-firm#ProductDesc">Additional product information is in a table below.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

At this time, no product that has tested positive or alerted for Cesium-137 (Cs-137) has entered the U.S. commerce. FDA is working with distributors and retailers that received product from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati after the date of first detection of Cs-137 by Customs &amp; Border Protection (CBP), but from shipments that did not alert for Cs-137, to recommend that firms conduct a recall. In conjunction with other information, FDA determined that product from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati violates the Federal Food, Drug, &amp; Cosmetic Act in that it appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern.&nbsp;

FDA has also added PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1187.html">new import alert</a>&nbsp;for chemical contamination to stop products from this firm from coming into the U.S. until the firm has resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation.

FDA’s investigation is ongoing. This advisory will be updated as more information becomes available.&nbsp;

FDA detected Cs-137 in a single shipment of imported frozen shrimp from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati that did not enter U.S. commerce. The level of Cs-137 detected in the detained shipment was approximately 68 Bq/kg, which is below&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/process-contaminants-food/supporting-document-guidance-levels-radionuclides-domestic-and-imported-foods">FDA’s Derived Intervention Level for Cs-137</a>&nbsp;of 1200 Bq/kg. At this level, the product would not pose an acute hazard to consumers. Avoiding products like the shipment FDA tested with similar levels of Cs-137 is a measure intended to reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could have health impacts with continued exposure over a long period of time.

The primary health effect of concern following longer term, repeated low dose exposure (e.g., through consumption of contaminated food or water over time) is an elevated risk of cancer, resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body. Additional information about Cs-137 and your health is available through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts157.pdf">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry resources</a>.

FDA is actively investigating reports of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (doing business as BMS Foods) of Indonesia. The U.S. Customs &amp; Border Protection (CBP) alerted FDA to the detection of Cs-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports (Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami). FDA collected multiple samples for radionuclide analysis, with results confirming the presence of Cs-137 in one sample of breaded shrimp. All containers and product testing positive or alerting for Cs-137 have been denied entry into the country. The agency continues to coordinate with CBP to prevent any contaminated products from reaching consumers and is working with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities to investigate the root cause of the contamination.&nbsp;

Although testing to date has not confirmed the presence of contamination in any product in commerce, the product appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern. To date, FDA has learned that Walmart has received implicated raw frozen shrimp, imported after the date of first detection of Cs-137 by CBP, but from shipments that did not alert for Cs-137. FDA has recommended Walmart recall this product.&nbsp;

Consumers should not eat or serve certain lots of Great Value raw frozen shrimp sold at Walmart stores in AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, OH, OK, PA, TX, and WV: &nbsp;

If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product.

Cs-137 is a radioisotope of cesium that is man-made through nuclear reactions and because it is widespread worldwide, trace amounts of Cs-137 can be found in the environment, including soil, food, and air. FDA food monitoring focuses on radioisotopes (radionuclides) that are not normally present and are generally the result of human activities. Any unexpected finding of Cs-137 in a food product is evaluated to determine if follow up action is warranted on a case-by-case basis. After being alerted to the contamination of shipping containers detected by CBP, FDA initiated sampling of products which included five different shrimp products from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, one of which was a sample of frozen breaded shrimp. FDA's laboratory confirmation of Cs-137 in the breaded shrimp had detectable levels of Cs-137 present at 68.48 Bq/kg +/- 8.25 Bq/kg. There was no detectable Cs-137 in the other products tested; however, this does not rule out contamination.

FDA has not detected Cs-137 in any product above the current&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/process-contaminants-food/supporting-document-guidance-levels-radionuclides-domestic-and-imported-foods">derived intervention levels for Cs-137</a>&nbsp;(1200 Bq/kg); however, FDA has concluded that the level detected in the breaded shrimp sample could represent a potential health concern for those exposed to this level of Cs-137 from consumption of the shrimp over an extended period of time combined with radiation that exists in the environment and from other sources such as medical procedures. Avoiding products like the shipment FDA tested with similar levels of Cs-137 is a measure intended to reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could have health impacts with continued exposure over a long period of time. FDA has taken swift action to prevent potentially contaminated product from being introduced into U.S. commerce in response to reports of contaminated shipping containers from CBP. On August 14, 2025, FDA posted a new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1187.html">import alert (IA 99-51)</a>&nbsp;for chemical contamination under section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. &nbsp;PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati has been added to the red list of this alert due to the presence of Cs-137. The import alert ensures that no implicated shrimp products will enter U.S. commerce until the company resolves the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation.&nbsp;

Certain raw frozen shrimp products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (doing business as BMS Foods), a company located in Indonesia, and sold at Walmart stores in Missouri and a dozen other states, according to a statement from the FDA.These products include the following product names, lot codes, and best by dates:&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005540-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027</li><li>Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005538-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027</li><li>Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005539-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027</li>
 </ul><a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-advises-public-not-eat-sell-or-serve-certain-imported-frozen-shrimp-indonesian-firm#ProductDesc">Additional product information is in a table below.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;At this time, no product that has tested positive or alerted for Cesium-137 (Cs-137) has entered the U.S. commerce. FDA is working with distributors and retailers that received product from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati after the date of first detection of Cs-137 by Customs &amp; Border Protection (CBP), but from shipments that did not alert for Cs-137, to recommend that firms conduct a recall. In conjunction with other information, FDA determined that product from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati violates the Federal Food, Drug, &amp; Cosmetic Act in that it appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern.&nbsp;FDA has also added PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1187.html">new import alert</a>&nbsp;for chemical contamination to stop products from this firm from coming into the U.S. until the firm has resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation.FDA’s investigation is ongoing. This advisory will be updated as more information becomes available.&nbsp;<h2>Health impacts of cesium exposure</h2>FDA detected Cs-137 in a single shipment of imported frozen shrimp from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati that did not enter U.S. commerce. The level of Cs-137 detected in the detained shipment was approximately 68 Bq/kg, which is below&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/process-contaminants-food/supporting-document-guidance-levels-radionuclides-domestic-and-imported-foods">FDA’s Derived Intervention Level for Cs-137</a>&nbsp;of 1200 Bq/kg. At this level, the product would not pose an acute hazard to consumers. Avoiding products like the shipment FDA tested with similar levels of Cs-137 is a measure intended to reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could have health impacts with continued exposure over a long period of time.The primary health effect of concern following longer term, repeated low dose exposure (e.g., through consumption of contaminated food or water over time) is an elevated risk of cancer, resulting from damage to DNA within living cells of the body. Additional information about Cs-137 and your health is available through the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tfacts157.pdf">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry resources</a>.<h2>Recommendation</h2><ul>
 <li>If you recently purchased&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-advises-public-not-eat-sell-or-serve-certain-imported-frozen-shrimp-indonesian-firm#ProductDesc">one of the impacted lots</a>&nbsp;of Great Value raw frozen shrimp from Walmart, throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product.</li><li>Distributors and retailers should dispose of this product and should not sell or serve this product.</li><li>If you suspect you have been exposed to elevated levels of cesium, talk to your healthcare provider.</li>
 </ul><h2>Current Update</h2>August 19, 2025FDA is actively investigating reports of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) contamination in shipping containers and frozen shrimp products processed by PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati (doing business as BMS Foods) of Indonesia. The U.S. Customs &amp; Border Protection (CBP) alerted FDA to the detection of Cs-137 in shipping containers at four U.S. ports (Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, and Miami). FDA collected multiple samples for radionuclide analysis, with results confirming the presence of Cs-137 in one sample of breaded shrimp. All containers and product testing positive or alerting for Cs-137 have been denied entry into the country. The agency continues to coordinate with CBP to prevent any contaminated products from reaching consumers and is working with Indonesian seafood regulatory authorities to investigate the root cause of the contamination.&nbsp;Although testing to date has not confirmed the presence of contamination in any product in commerce, the product appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with Cs-137 and may pose a safety concern. To date, FDA has learned that Walmart has received implicated raw frozen shrimp, imported after the date of first detection of Cs-137 by CBP, but from shipments that did not alert for Cs-137. FDA has recommended Walmart recall this product.&nbsp;Consumers should not eat or serve certain lots of Great Value raw frozen shrimp sold at Walmart stores in AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, OH, OK, PA, TX, and WV: &nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005540-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027&nbsp;</li><li>Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005538-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027&nbsp;</li><li>Great Value brand frozen raw shrimp, lot code: 8005539-1, Best by Date: 3/15/2027.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>If you have recently purchased raw frozen shrimp from Walmart that matches this description, throw it away. Do not eat or serve this product.Cs-137 is a radioisotope of cesium that is man-made through nuclear reactions and because it is widespread worldwide, trace amounts of Cs-137 can be found in the environment, including soil, food, and air. FDA food monitoring focuses on radioisotopes (radionuclides) that are not normally present and are generally the result of human activities. Any unexpected finding of Cs-137 in a food product is evaluated to determine if follow up action is warranted on a case-by-case basis. After being alerted to the contamination of shipping containers detected by CBP, FDA initiated sampling of products which included five different shrimp products from PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati, one of which was a sample of frozen breaded shrimp. FDA's laboratory confirmation of Cs-137 in the breaded shrimp had detectable levels of Cs-137 present at 68.48 Bq/kg +/- 8.25 Bq/kg. There was no detectable Cs-137 in the other products tested; however, this does not rule out contamination.FDA has not detected Cs-137 in any product above the current&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/food/process-contaminants-food/supporting-document-guidance-levels-radionuclides-domestic-and-imported-foods">derived intervention levels for Cs-137</a>&nbsp;(1200 Bq/kg); however, FDA has concluded that the level detected in the breaded shrimp sample could represent a potential health concern for those exposed to this level of Cs-137 from consumption of the shrimp over an extended period of time combined with radiation that exists in the environment and from other sources such as medical procedures. Avoiding products like the shipment FDA tested with similar levels of Cs-137 is a measure intended to reduce exposure to low-level radiation that could have health impacts with continued exposure over a long period of time. FDA has taken swift action to prevent potentially contaminated product from being introduced into U.S. commerce in response to reports of contaminated shipping containers from CBP. On August 14, 2025, FDA posted a new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1187.html">import alert (IA 99-51)</a>&nbsp;for chemical contamination under section 402(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. &nbsp;PT. Bahari Makmur Sejati has been added to the red list of this alert due to the presence of Cs-137. The import alert ensures that no implicated shrimp products will enter U.S. commerce until the company resolves the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violation.&nbsp;

Walmart recalls frozen shrimp sold in Missouri over potential radioactive contamination

PLATTE COUNTY—One person was injured and another arrested in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Tuesday in Platte County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Dodge Caravan driven by a 48-year-old Parkville man was northbound on Interstate 29 just south of 64th Street. The van rear-ended a 2018 Isuzu passenger vehicle.&nbsp; The Isuzu driver, later identified as a Todd M. Moulin, 48, Kansas City, Missouri, left the scene of the crash.

KC Fire transported the van driver to North Kansas City Hospital.&nbsp; The Patrol later arrested Moulin on requested charges of driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a crash, no valid license and for no insurance. He was released for treatment at North Kansas City Hospital.

PLATTE COUNTY—One person was injured and another arrested in an accident just after 11:30p.m. Tuesday in Platte County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Dodge Caravan driven by a 48-year-old Parkville man was northbound on Interstate 29 just south of 64th Street. The van rear-ended a 2018 Isuzu passenger vehicle.&nbsp; The Isuzu driver, later identified as a Todd M. Moulin, 48, Kansas City, Missouri, left the scene of the crash.KC Fire transported the van driver to North Kansas City Hospital.&nbsp; The Patrol later arrested Moulin on requested charges of driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of a crash, no valid license and for no insurance. He was released for treatment at North Kansas City Hospital.

One injured, one accused of DUI after rear-end crash

HARRISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Tuesday in Harrison County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Peterbilt semi driven by a 66-year-old Amazonia man was westbound on U.S. 136 at Route EE in New Hampton. The semi attempted to pass a 2015 Chevy Malibu driven by a 45-year-old Bethany woman that had slowed to make a left turn.

The right front of the semi struck the left front of the car.

Grand River Ambulance transported the Bethany woman to Mosaic in Albany. The semi driver was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

HARRISON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 2:30p.m. Tuesday in Harrison County.The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Peterbilt semi driven by a 66-year-old Amazonia man was westbound on U.S. 136 at Route EE in New Hampton. The semi attempted to pass a 2015 Chevy Malibu driven by a 45-year-old Bethany woman that had slowed to make a left turn.The right front of the semi struck the left front of the car.Grand River Ambulance transported the Bethany woman to Mosaic in Albany. The semi driver was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Missouri woman injured after semi, car crash

In the Kansas City area, all but one carrier have asked Kansas and Missouri regulators for the right to bump up premiums — in one case by 40%

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">Suzanne King</a>

If you are one of the 617,000 people in Missouri or Kansas buying health insurance on&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://healthcare.gov/" target="_blank">healthcare.gov</a>, expect sticker shock when next year’s premiums are announced.

With few exceptions, insurance companies selling health coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace plan to increase rates in 2026. In the Kansas City area, all but one carrier have asked Kansas and Missouri regulators for the right to bump up premiums — in one case by 40%.

Only Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City proposed a decrease.

A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-much-and-why-aca-marketplace-premiums-are-going-up-in-2026/#Distribution%20of%20proposed%202026%20rate%20changes%20among%20312%20ACA%20Marketplace%20insurers" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;of proposed rates by KFF and the Peterson Center on Healthcare found a median planned increase of 18% among the 312 insurers participating in ACA marketplaces nationwide. That is 11 percentage points higher than last year and the steepest increase request since 2018.

Only four insurers nationwide said they would decrease rates.

According to the KFF report, insurance companies cited numerous reasons for the increases, including inflation, increasing labor costs and the high price of specialty drugs like GLP-1 weight loss medications.

But health policy experts said much of the blame should fall on new Trump administration laws and policies that will increase the cost of marketplace coverage, drive healthy people to drop out and leave behind patients who cost the most.

The first policy that will drive up prices is that enhanced tax credits are expected to expire.

Since 2021 those tax credits have offset the cost of health plans for more than 90% of people enrolled in the ACA marketplaces and made coverage more widely available. The tax credits, which helped double marketplace enrollment between 2021 and 2025, expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t renew them.

The second policy driving up prices involves a new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cms-9884-f-2025-pi-rule-master-5cr-062025.pdf" target="_blank">Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule</a>&nbsp;that overhauls how the marketplace operates.

Some changes will make it harder for people to enroll and keep coverage, such as shortening the enrollment period, eliminating automatic reenrollment and adding stricter eligibility checks. Other changes upend how insurance payments are formulated, which could drive up premiums and force people to pay more for deductibles and copays.

“The bottom line is that out-of-pocket premiums will go up,” said Gideon Lukens, senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who co-authored a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/administrations-aca-marketplace-rule-will-raise-health-care-costs-for-millions-of" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;about the changes. “People will pay higher deductibles and copays, and the maximum out-of-pocket limits will also go up. … And then a lot of people lose coverage as a result.”

The ACA marketplace reached more than 24 million enrollees nationally in 2025, including&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.commonwealthfund.org/2025/marketplace-fact-sheets/Missouri.pdf" target="_blank">417,000 in Missouri</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.commonwealthfund.org/2025/marketplace-fact-sheets/Kansas.pdf" target="_blank">200,050 in Kansas</a>. That was a record, and double the enrollment in 2021 when enhanced tax subsidies first went into effect. During that same period, Missouri’s enrollment also doubled, while Kansas’ climbed 133%.

But those enrollment highs are widely expected to plummet next year as premiums increase. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.khi.org/articles/marketplace-enrollment-peaks-before-expected-decline/" target="_blank">recent report</a>, the Kansas Health Institute predicted that Kansas ACA enrollment could immediately return to 2021 levels and uninsured rates could “greatly increase.”

Anything that makes insurance harder to get — and especially more expensive — leads to fewer people being covered, experts said.

And next year’s potential insurance premium increases come as the Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-08/61367-Distributional-Effects.pdf" target="_blank">predicts</a>&nbsp;that policy changes from the Trump administration will lead to an annual decline in overall resources for the country’s poorest households between 2026 and 2034. The CBO said poor households will lose an average of $1,200 annually during the period, while top-income households can expect to gain $13,600.

Lukens said increased health insurance premiums caused by the expiration of enhanced tax credits and CMS rule changes could effectively lead the country back to a time before the ACA was adopted, when many people couldn’t afford insurance and found it difficult to access health care.

“It’s not a repeal of the ACA, but the size of the impact is comparable,” he said. “The way it’s done is more of a death-by-a-thousand-cuts way — a lot of changes that will just generally add a lot of red tape and make it harder for people to keep coverage, to enroll in coverage, and will raise costs. But the overall impact of it will be to increase the number of people without coverage by getting close to where we were before the ACA.”

Once the dust settles, an estimated 8 million people are expected to lose coverage through the ACA marketplace. On top of that, 9 million could lose Medicaid under federal legislation passed in July, which cuts federal spending on the program by close to $1 trillion and adds new obstacles to keep coverage, like work requirements and&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/07/25/missouri-work-requirements-medicaid-mo-healthnet/" target="_blank">documenting hours worked</a>.

“The worst case scenario here is bad,” said Caitlin Donovan, a spokesperson for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.patientadvocate.org/" target="_blank">Patient Advocate Foundation</a>, which helps people around the country with chronic and life-threatening illnesses find care. “It’s really bad.”

Ultimately, she said, when people lose health coverage they’re less likely to seek care and more likely to get sicker before getting help. That makes care cost more, puts more strain on hospitals and other health care providers and, ultimately, continues the cycle of insurance rates climbing.

“There is going to be a sicker population that’s in a much worse situation,” Donovan said.

When people who are young and healthy don’t participate in the insurance market, leaving behind people who are more expensive to cover, it can trigger a cycle of increasing premiums, said Christopher Garmon, assistant professor of health administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

“Anything that makes healthy people less likely to enroll is going to increase costs and cause premiums to go up, and make healthy people less likely to enroll,” he said. “And that is a vicious cycle.”

ACA premium&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/18/affordable-care-act-health-coverage-at-risk-unless-congress-acts/" target="_blank">changes will vary</a>&nbsp;based on where a person lives, their age and income. KFF has a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/interactive/how-much-more-would-people-pay-in-premiums-if-the-acas-enhanced-subsidies-expired/" target="_blank">calculator</a>&nbsp;that can help people know how much they may see rates increase come January.

The Commonwealth Fund&nbsp;<a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/maps-and-interactives/2025/aug/what-aca-marketplaces-do-your-state" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;that people in Missouri who receive tax credits will see a $720 jump in annual premiums, while the same group in Kansas will see a $590 annual increase.

Most of the insurance companies in the Kansas and Missouri marketplaces have requested premium increases next year.

In Kansas, Celtic Insurance Co. proposed a 40% increase, the highest jump. But Medica Insurance Co. said its rates need to go up 29.3% in Kansas. In Missouri, Medica proposed an increase of 29.2%, while Celtic proposed a jump of 24.4%.

Medica provided a written statement, saying the company’s rate request “reflects the trend toward increased use of medical services as well as the expiration of enhanced subsidies for those who depend on the Affordable Care Act marketplace for coverage.”

“We urge the Congress to promptly extend assistance that promotes stability in this vital market serving millions of Americans,” the Medica statement said.

<figure>
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 </figure><h2>In the Kansas City area, all but one carrier have asked Kansas and Missouri regulators for the right to bump up premiums — in one case by 40%</h2>By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/suzanneking/">Suzanne King</a>If you are one of the 617,000 people in Missouri or Kansas buying health insurance on&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://healthcare.gov/" target="_blank">healthcare.gov</a>, expect sticker shock when next year’s premiums are announced.With few exceptions, insurance companies selling health coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace plan to increase rates in 2026. In the Kansas City area, all but one carrier have asked Kansas and Missouri regulators for the right to bump up premiums — in one case by 40%.Only Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City proposed a decrease.The story is similar across the country.A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/how-much-and-why-aca-marketplace-premiums-are-going-up-in-2026/#Distribution%20of%20proposed%202026%20rate%20changes%20among%20312%20ACA%20Marketplace%20insurers" target="_blank">survey</a>&nbsp;of proposed rates by KFF and the Peterson Center on Healthcare found a median planned increase of 18% among the 312 insurers participating in ACA marketplaces nationwide. That is 11 percentage points higher than last year and the steepest increase request since 2018.Only four insurers nationwide said they would decrease rates.According to the KFF report, insurance companies cited numerous reasons for the increases, including inflation, increasing labor costs and the high price of specialty drugs like GLP-1 weight loss medications.But health policy experts said much of the blame should fall on new Trump administration laws and policies that will increase the cost of marketplace coverage, drive healthy people to drop out and leave behind patients who cost the most.<h2>Expiring tax credits and new rules</h2>The first policy that will drive up prices is that enhanced tax credits are expected to expire.Since 2021 those tax credits have offset the cost of health plans for more than 90% of people enrolled in the ACA marketplaces and made coverage more widely available. The tax credits, which helped double marketplace enrollment between 2021 and 2025, expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t renew them.The second policy driving up prices involves a new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/cms-9884-f-2025-pi-rule-master-5cr-062025.pdf" target="_blank">Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule</a>&nbsp;that overhauls how the marketplace operates.Some changes will make it harder for people to enroll and keep coverage, such as shortening the enrollment period, eliminating automatic reenrollment and adding stricter eligibility checks. Other changes upend how insurance payments are formulated, which could drive up premiums and force people to pay more for deductibles and copays.“The bottom line is that out-of-pocket premiums will go up,” said Gideon Lukens, senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who co-authored a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/health/administrations-aca-marketplace-rule-will-raise-health-care-costs-for-millions-of" target="_blank">report</a>&nbsp;about the changes. “People will pay higher deductibles and copays, and the maximum out-of-pocket limits will also go up. … And then a lot of people lose coverage as a result.”<h2>Comparable to repealing Obamacare</h2>The ACA marketplace reached more than 24 million enrollees nationally in 2025, including&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.commonwealthfund.org/2025/marketplace-fact-sheets/Missouri.pdf" target="_blank">417,000 in Missouri</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://interactives.commonwealthfund.org/2025/marketplace-fact-sheets/Kansas.pdf" target="_blank">200,050 in Kansas</a>. That was a record, and double the enrollment in 2021 when enhanced tax subsidies first went into effect. During that same period, Missouri’s enrollment also doubled, while Kansas’ climbed 133%.But those enrollment highs are widely expected to plummet next year as premiums increase. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.khi.org/articles/marketplace-enrollment-peaks-before-expected-decline/" target="_blank">recent report</a>, the Kansas Health Institute predicted that Kansas ACA enrollment could immediately return to 2021 levels and uninsured rates could “greatly increase.”Anything that makes insurance harder to get — and especially more expensive — leads to fewer people being covered, experts said.And next year’s potential insurance premium increases come as the Congressional Budget Office&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-08/61367-Distributional-Effects.pdf" target="_blank">predicts</a>&nbsp;that policy changes from the Trump administration will lead to an annual decline in overall resources for the country’s poorest households between 2026 and 2034. The CBO said poor households will lose an average of $1,200 annually during the period, while top-income households can expect to gain $13,600.Lukens said increased health insurance premiums caused by the expiration of enhanced tax credits and CMS rule changes could effectively lead the country back to a time before the ACA was adopted, when many people couldn’t afford insurance and found it difficult to access health care.“It’s not a repeal of the ACA, but the size of the impact is comparable,” he said. “The way it’s done is more of a death-by-a-thousand-cuts way — a lot of changes that will just generally add a lot of red tape and make it harder for people to keep coverage, to enroll in coverage, and will raise costs. But the overall impact of it will be to increase the number of people without coverage by getting close to where we were before the ACA.”<h2>A vicious cycle</h2>Once the dust settles, an estimated 8 million people are expected to lose coverage through the ACA marketplace. On top of that, 9 million could lose Medicaid under federal legislation passed in July, which cuts federal spending on the program by close to $1 trillion and adds new obstacles to keep coverage, like work requirements and&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/07/25/missouri-work-requirements-medicaid-mo-healthnet/" target="_blank">documenting hours worked</a>.“The worst case scenario here is bad,” said Caitlin Donovan, a spokesperson for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.patientadvocate.org/" target="_blank">Patient Advocate Foundation</a>, which helps people around the country with chronic and life-threatening illnesses find care. “It’s really bad.”Ultimately, she said, when people lose health coverage they’re less likely to seek care and more likely to get sicker before getting help. That makes care cost more, puts more strain on hospitals and other health care providers and, ultimately, continues the cycle of insurance rates climbing.“There is going to be a sicker population that’s in a much worse situation,” Donovan said.When people who are young and healthy don’t participate in the insurance market, leaving behind people who are more expensive to cover, it can trigger a cycle of increasing premiums, said Christopher Garmon, assistant professor of health administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.“Anything that makes healthy people less likely to enroll is going to increase costs and cause premiums to go up, and make healthy people less likely to enroll,” he said. “And that is a vicious cycle.”ACA premium&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/06/18/affordable-care-act-health-coverage-at-risk-unless-congress-acts/" target="_blank">changes will vary</a>&nbsp;based on where a person lives, their age and income. KFF has a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/interactive/how-much-more-would-people-pay-in-premiums-if-the-acas-enhanced-subsidies-expired/" target="_blank">calculator</a>&nbsp;that can help people know how much they may see rates increase come January.The Commonwealth Fund&nbsp;<a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/maps-and-interactives/2025/aug/what-aca-marketplaces-do-your-state" target="_blank">estimates</a>&nbsp;that people in Missouri who receive tax credits will see a $720 jump in annual premiums, while the same group in Kansas will see a $590 annual increase.<h2>Rising premiums in Kansas and Missouri</h2>Most of the insurance companies in the Kansas and Missouri marketplaces have requested premium increases next year.In Kansas, Celtic Insurance Co. proposed a 40% increase, the highest jump. But Medica Insurance Co. said its rates need to go up 29.3% in Kansas. In Missouri, Medica proposed an increase of 29.2%, while Celtic proposed a jump of 24.4%.Celtic could not be reached for comment.Medica provided a written statement, saying the company’s rate request “reflects the trend toward increased use of medical services as well as the expiration of enhanced subsidies for those who depend on the Affordable Care Act marketplace for coverage.”“We urge the Congress to promptly extend assistance that promotes stability in this vital market serving millions of Americans,” the Medica statement said.Other carriers in the Kansas City market proposing rate increases include Oscar Insurance Co., which is asking for a 14.4% increase in Kansas and an 11.7% increase in Missouri, and United Healthcare Insurance Co., which wants a 10.1% bump in Kansas and a 10.7% increase in Missouri.Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is the only carrier in the market — and one of just four in the country — planning to lower rates next year.The company said it would drop rates 6.1% in Kansas and 4.4% in Missouri.In a written statement, Rachel Arnett, Blue Cross vice president of sales, said the company had “evaluated our product offerings, gathered feedback from our customers, and developed a variety of options on the ACA Marketplace for health insurance in 2026.”Those include “a new focused provider network,” which it said would bring lower premiums and predictable cost, and plans to offer its primary care model,&nbsp;<a href="https://spiracare.com/about/" target="_blank">Spira Care Access</a>, through nine area centers.A spokesperson for the carrier declined to answer questions about the rate reduction and did not provide other details about the scope of the coverage.<h2>Less help available&nbsp;</h2>Proposed rates must be approved by state insurance regulators before they are officially listed in the marketplace.That should happen this fall in time for the ACA marketplaces’ open enrollment period, which begins Nov. 1. This year, people will have until Jan. 15 to complete enrollment. But next year that window will shorten to Nov. 1 through Dec. 15.But many people may not realize how much the ACA will be changing next year or understand what options they may have for coverage. That’s because earlier this year the Trump administration cut funding for navigators who help people find health insurance through the ACA marketplace or, if they qualify, Medicaid.Funding for public information campaigns about ACA coverage and the open enrollment period has also been cut, meaning some enrollees could miss deadlines or forget to reenroll, which could also add to the number of uninsured.Justin Gust, vice president of community engagement with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elcentroinc.com/" target="_blank">El Centro Inc.</a>, said he’s seen this play out before. The last time Trump was in the White House virtually all of the funding for public information campaigns was eliminated. And the consequences were not good.“There was a huge reduction in people enrolling,” he said.This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/08/18/brace-for-sticker-shock-if-youre-buying-health-insurance-on-the-aca-marketplace/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Kansas City</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<figure>
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