We released a new issue brief today, Integrated Health Care Benefits Kentucky's Children, which examines the advantages of integrated health care as a way to improve the health of Kentucky's kids. In Kentucky, too many children struggle with poor health or have special health care needs. Kentucky’s health care system has undergone many changes in recent years. As these changes continue to be implemented, it is important for Kentucky to make sure all health needs of children are being met through improved [...]

Health does not exist in a vacuum. So much more impacts health than having health insurance and going to the doctor (although those are both really important). The County Health Rankings and Roadmaps project, a partnership between the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, understands this. They work to figure out what’s making people sick or healthy and then figure out what communities can do to impact that. According to the newest [...]

Open enrollment for kynect, Kentucky’s Health Benefit Exchange, ends this month, which means many Kentuckians still need to enroll in health insurance before time runs out. And kynectors, those certified by the state to help folks navigate the enrollment process, are heading into overdrive with less than 30 days left to enroll. Last week, the Lexington Herald-Leader examined enrollment by county.  The paper’s analysis indicated that throughout the state, the percentage of people who were [...]

The term “young invincible” has been in the news a lot recently. What is a “young invincible”? A “young invincible” is a person between the ages of 19 and 34. This age group is particularly important in the context of health insurance. As insurance marketplaces, either state or federally-run, are getting up and running throughout the country, a distribution of all age groups is important for these marketplaces to succeed. The young invincibles are especially [...]

Children who have experienced abuse and neglect often face physical and emotional health problems that stay with them for years. These children need access to consistent and ongoing health care to recover from abuse, including access to health coverage and access to doctors, counselors, or other health professionals when they are in need of care. Recent changes in the health care system in Kentucky will allow all young people to stay on their parent’s health [...]