Opinion: Lawmakers should focus on work, not re-election See B1
Sports: Iola defeats Neosho County See B1
2017 1867
THE IOLA REGISTER Thursday, June 29, 2017
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Nursing home fears cuts to Medicaid
By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
“It’s awfully hard to stay in business if you don’t get paid,” said Linda Milholland, director of Windsor Place, Iola’s only nursing home. In the world of healthcare, what may seem self-evident often has some leeway. But with cuts to Medicaid looming in the U.S. Congress, administrators such as Milholland will be forced to grow a second skin when it comes to admitting residents. “We may be forced to take a closer look at a resident’s assets before taking them in,” she said, something anathema to a physician’s Hippocratic oath: “Do no harm.” HOW DID it get to this?
First
off,
of
Windsor’s
residents, 68 percent depend on Medicaid to pay for their care. Medicaid is the federal/ state program that assists the elderly poor as well as those with disabilities and the indigent, many of whom are children. In Kansas, Medicaid was not expanded under the Affordable Care Act to help cover this demographic, so nursing homes, hospitals, mental health facilities, etc., were left to assume more of their expenses. To make matters worse, Kansas has reduced its payments to nursing homes. Today, Medicaid pays 51 percent, or $184.50 a day, of what it takes to adequately care for a resident at the local facility, according to Milholland. A restructuring of services
See MEDICAID | Page A3 Windsor Place Administrator Linda Milholland, left, and Marian Conaway, right, human resources
officer, flank Lois Rinehart, 83, a resident from Humboldt.
REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN
Trump’s muddled message stymies health care bill By JULIE PACE The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a platform most politicians can only hope for: A captivated, 6,000-person crowd and more than an hour of live, prime-time television coverage to hype the Republican vision for a new health care system. But when President Donald Trump got around to talking about the Republican plan — about 15 min-
utes into his speech — he was wildly off message. Instead of preaching party lines about getting the gov- Donald Trump ernment out of Americans’ health decisions and cutting costs, he declared: “Add some money to it!” The moment captured a major dilemma for Republi-
cans as they look for ways to jumpstart their stalled health care overhaul. A master salesman, Trump has an inimitable ability to command attention, and that could be used to bolster Americans’ support for Republican efforts and ramp up pressure on wavering lawmakers. But some lawmakers and congressional aides privately bemoan his thin grasp of the bill’s principles, and worry that his difficulty staying on message will do more harm
than good. “You know, he’s very personable and people like talking to him and he’s very embracing of that, so there will be certain people he’d like to talk to,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn. “But I’d let Mitch handle it,” he continued, referring to the lead role Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has played thus far. McConnell delayed a vote See TRUMP | Page A5
kitchen, in order to be able to invite in everybody. We’re finally comfortable enough with what we do to be able to handle a grand opening.” That leads to Saturday’s celebration, in which the restaurant will host a street dance. A portion of Main Street will be blocked off, hay bales See STARK | Page A3
See HOSPITAL | Page A3
Family brings ‘Stark-style’ fare to the masses STARK — It’s an understatement to call Colborn’s Kitchen a family restaurant. Jeremy Colborn, wife Kerri and sons Matthew and Trey work in league six days a week to bring some of the area’s tastiest fare to the dinner table. “But it’s more than that,”
Colborn said. “We’re family oriented behind the scenes and customer-wise. That’s important to us.” He recalled one busy evening in which one of the customers, a Stark local, left the table to help wash dishes. Then there was the time a customer helped bus tables during a particularly busy evening. “It doesn’t matter if you’re
Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 172
from Stark or Moran or Yates Center or Joplin,” he said. “You’re family here, and you get treated like it.” The Colborns took over Stark’s only restaurant in February. It’s only now they feel confident to celebrate the occasion. “We’ve tried to get everything lined out with our menu, the service, the
By SHELLIE SMITLEY The Iola Register
Hospital trustees are slowly working up the nerve to pop the sales tax revenue question to members of the Iola council and Allen County Commission. Jim Gilpin, a member of the Allen County Regional hospital board of trustees, asked fellow members Tuesday to consider having representatives attend the city and county meetings to answer any questions councilmen and commissioners may have about the hospital’s recent audit. Discussions were sparked by a June 2 article published in the Iola Register, which reported the hospital had fallen short of projections made in 2010 by the BKD accounting firm. The hospital has asked BKD to formulate new projections. Alan Weber, county counselor, suggested the city and county should be included in discussions before new parameters are decided. Critical to the balance sheet is the amount of tax that both the city and county are Tony Thompson willing to commit to, administrator Tony Thompson added. The hospital depends on the $60,000 to $65,000 it receives monthly in city and county sales tax revenues to help pay interest on bond principal. “It only makes sense since
Jeremy Colborn, from left, is the proprietor of Colborns’ Kitchen, Stark, which will celebrate its opening Saturday. Other staffers are, from left, Raiden Payne and Kerri, Matthew and Trey Colborn. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Hospital to ask for more sales tax help
“Alcohol may be man’s worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy.” — Frank Sinatra 75 Cents
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