Insurance

A Kansas State Representative is under fire after comments he made about insurance restrictions on abortion. In a recent House debate, Rep. Pete DeGraaf (R-Mulvane) was quoted during a conversation with Rep. Barbara Bollier (R-Mission Hills). The House was discussing insurance coverage for abortions. The point was made that proposed coverage restrictions did not make exceptions for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. DeGraaf suggested that women purchase separate abortion-only policies.

A lack of insurance prompts the Wichita City Council to revoke the license of Moonwalks for Fun.  It's owned by Pure Entertainment and provides inflatables for rent. The revocation means the company can no longer operate inflatables in the City of Wichita. The heart of the issue is whether Moonwalks for Fun and owner Duane Zogleman operated without insurance.  From November 3, 2010 through March 22, 2011 the company wasn't insured.  The insurance company they used cancelled the policy after receiving what it called unfavorable information.  Zogleman says he wasn't given specific details of what that meant.  But we do know the city suspended the license last year because inflatables were not properly inspected.  That was discovered after a boy died last year from falling off of an inflatable.

A former Valley Center man made his first appearance in Sedgwick County Court Thursday.  52-year-old Daniel Perez was charged with first degree murder, sex crimes and falsifying documents.  Authorities linked Perez to a death that for years was thought to be an accident. He's accused of killing Patricia Hughes back in 2003.  Until recently, it was thought she died trying to rescue her daughter from a swimming pool at her Valley Center home.  Court documents reveal Perez has also gone by the name of Lou Castro and that he lived on the same property where  Hughes drowned.

People hoping to avoid the flu lined up for free flu shots Saturday afternoon. The KU School of Medicine, along with the Guadalupe clinic gave out the shots. Most of the people who came either didn't have insurance, or their insurance didn't cover flu shots. According to the CDC, the only people who should not get flu shots are new borns.

CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric spoke with President-elect Barck Obama before the election. She asked him where he stands on the most pressing issues facing The United States. The following is information collected from those interviews and from Obama's web site. Would provide a tax credit for small businesses to provide insurance for employees Would require larger companies to provide insurance or pay into a national pool to provide options for the uninsured

Imagine getting the call-back letter you've been waiting two years for, only to have it's offer withdrawn a week later. That's what happened to Zach McCaslin. He was laid off from Hawker Beechcraft back in 2009. In August, he received a certified letter saying he was being called back. "We were very excited because the insurance is so much better and pays better and everything was better when I was there. " McCaslin gave notice at his job and his wife made arrangements to drop their insurance, all in anticipation that Zach would be going back to Hawker.

David Heiens' fields are blanketed with snow, but it's not enough to cure the drought problem the agriculture industry faces. "A farmer needs to kind of plan ahead and make lemonade out of lemons," Heiens said. The kind of help farmers may receive because of the drought conditions are now complicated by recent developments to the Farm Bill. Congress renewed parts of the 2008 Farm Bill during their 'fiscal cliff' negotiations. The extension is for nine months. Click for Full Text of Bill Heiens says he thinks consumers will see the biggest increase in prices of meat, with the drought driving up feed prices.

Kyle Hicks will get a long-awaited bone marrow transplant. Hicks suffers from a rare and painful skin disorder called Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa. The condition makes his skin fragile. Every day he must clean and cover the blisters on his skin in bandages. Kyle is now 20-years-old. Eyewitness News first spoke with him back in 2008. At that time he was selected for a clinical trial for a new treatment for his illness. The cost was initially estimated to be at least $500,000.

by Denise Hnytka It's been two weeks since a tornado devastated people in Chapman. And now, it's what some call another blow. People there don't qualify for individual help from FEMA. That leaves questions for people whose insurance may not cover all of their losses. The storm chose homes at random. It ripped some apart while barely scraping past the one next door. The writing is on the wall for some. But the Pfannenstiel's say they're lucky. Only 20 percent of their home is damaged.

By Denise Hnytka (WICHITA, Kan) Ten states already have it, and two are considering it - a law that requires insurance companies cover the treatment of autism. In Kansas, the bill is called Kate's Law. This session, it didn't make it out of the Senate or the House of Representatives. But this setback isn't stopping the people fighting for it.  Since his diagnosis at age three, Linda Kendrick has watched her grandson improve. Londan, now six years old, is autistic.

Ramon Ontiveros has his insurance guy on the way.  His house looks like it was hit by machine gun fire.  The siding is ruined.  He can't believe it. "This is my first experience with something like this," said Ontiveros. His house is an extreme example of the damage caused by Sunday's hail.  Roofer Mike Heiland says his phone has been ringing off the hook since the storm.  Homeowners want their roofs checked out for damage. Click here for tips on how to avoid repair scams Heiland says many of the homes in Ontiveros' Bel Aire neighborhood have roof damage in the ten thousand dollar range.  Bigger homes can run 20 to 30 thousand.  Heiland says the kind of damage he is seeing needs to be repaired, because the integrity of the shingles has been compromised.  But, he says it's not urgent.  He suggests homeowners get on the list of a reputable local contractor for repairs.  It may take a few weeks or even months.  He says that'll be fine.

Large hail pounded roofs, dented siding and busted windows across Sedgwick County Sunday afternoon.  Many homeowners are now assessing the damage and must decide whether to file an insurance claim. FactFinder 12 recently did an investigation that found an increasing number of Kansas homeowners have received coverage cancellation letters from their insurance companies.  Many were canceled for having too many claims.  Generally, insurers will accept at least one major storm related claim without counting it against a client.

Email to American Family Insurance Media Relations - Brian Heap - May 2, 2013 Dear Am Fam, I am an investigative reporter for KWCH-TV in Wichita, KS.  I am working on a story about what appears to be a sudden increase in the number of Kansas homeowners being dropped by their insurance carriers. It seems several large insurers, including American Family, are reevaluating the risk level of customers with a history of filing claims and determining those customers are no longer insurable by that company.

The insurance check is in. That means the City of Winfield can move forward with rebuilding its playground. Last month it burned to the ground for the second time. 5-year old Alyvea Bolges can only look at the park she once played on through an orange construction fence. "There used to be castles and swings and a lot of stuff," Bolges said. "Beautiful Sunday day like this, we would have had hundreds of children out here enjoying the playground," said Winfield City Manager Warren Porter.

For the second time this year, Kansas lawmakers are considering a bill that would require insurance companies cover Autism treatments for all Kansans.  Click here to lean about HB 2395 "They've got to realize that these kids are going to be coming into the system and it's expensive," said Jana Bleakley, a mother with a son on the Autism Spectrum. Parents and therapists say passing HB 2395 would be good for all of us.  "One in 88 children are diagnosed with autism, one in 54 boys," said Connie Erbert, an Autism therapist and expert who works at Heartspring in Wichita.

David Heiens' fields are blanketed with snow, but it's not enough to cure the drought problem the agriculture industry faces. "A farmer needs to kind of plan ahead and make lemonade out of lemons," Heiens said. The kind of help farmers may receive because of the drought conditions are now complicated by recent developments to the Farm Bill. Congress renewed parts of the 2008 Farm Bill during their 'fiscal cliff' negotiations. The extension is for nine months. Click for Full Text of Bill Heiens says he thinks consumers will see the biggest increase in prices of meat, with the drought driving up feed prices.

Hurricane Sandy could drive up insurance costs, but Kansas shouldn't be affected. The Kansas Insurance Commissioner's Office says state law requires insurance companies to rate risks based only on what happens in Kansas. Just because rates here aren't affected by hurricanes, insurance providers can increase rates based on other natural disasters. “They can and they do,” says assistant commissioner Bob Tomlinson. Hail damage has been more severe in recent years.

For the first time in four years, the number of Americans without health insurance decreased. The U.S. Census Bureau reported Wednesday that 48.6 million people were uninsured in 2011 -- down from 50 million the year before. The percentage of uninsured people also ticked lower, edging down to 15.7% from 16.3%. However, for the fifth consecutive year, the percentage of people covered by government health insurance increased -- up to 32.2% from 31.2% in 2010. People covered by Medicaid increased to 16.5% from 15.8%, and Medicare coverage edged higher to 15.2% from 14.6%.

Life for the Green family in Hutchinson goes on, but things have changed the last three years. Andy Green was bitten by a tick and soon developed flu-like symptoms.  He was eventually diagnosed with Lyme disease.  "The most frustrating part is, I'm supposed to be the provider for the family," Green says. Lyme disease is traditionally rare in Kansas.  Although, the number of confirmed cases has been increasing steadily.  Many sufferers contend it often goes undiagnosed.

Most of the stuff that was once inside Cindy Wood's mobile home won't make it to her "keep pile. " Instead, it will end up in a dumpster. "Most of it's gone,” Wood said. Wood spent the day like many residents of the Pinaire Mobile Home Park--packing-up and moving-out. Storm Damage Photos "We're not closing.  Absolutely not.  We will re-open,” Starlyn Tayrien said. Tayrien's family owns the park.  She says they are thankful for all of the volunteer support.  But the privately-owned business needs help with the heavy lifting.