JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A national Republican group has contributed $45,400 to Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts in his GOP primary race against tea party challenger Milton Wolf.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House plans to vote today on a $659 immigration bill that would send resources to the border and speed the return back home of unaccompanied Central American children. But Republicans have scheduled a companion vote that would block President Barack Obama from granting more work permits to people brought to the U.S. illegally as kids, but have been allowed to stay.

By Phil Galewitz
Kaiser Health News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Though millions of people gained health coverage this year as a result of the Affordable Care Act, millions more remain unaware of their options or have no interest in getting insured, a new survey has found.

Among those who were uninsured last year and remain uninsured, only 59 percent were familiar with the new Obamacare marketplaces and 38 percent were aware of federal subsidies to lower their insurance costs, according to the survey conducted in June by the nonpartisan Urban Institute.

About 60 percent of respondents list cost as the main reason for not having insurance. But 20 percent say they don’t want health insurance or would rather pay the fine for not having coverage.
The survey estimated about 8 million people gained health care coverage since last fall. In the past month, a New England Journal of Medicine study found that 10 million people gained coverage. The Rand Corp. has estimated 9.3 million people gained coverage.

“A lot of people who remain uninsured never looked on the marketplace,” said Stephen Zuckerman, co-director of the Urban Institute Health Policy Center. “If you build it, they do not always come.”

Zuckerman said while many people say health insurance costs are too high, many don’t understand its value. “People are paying for something but not seeing an immediate return,” he said.

While the poll results have implications for next year’s open enrollment, which starts Nov. 15, the first year sign-ups still outpaced expectations, said Sharon Long, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute. “It really has been an impressive rollout, not perfect but good.”

The survey was based on an Internet sample of 7,500 adults between 18 and 65.

CAMDEN COUNTY – A 71-year-old woman died Wednesday after she was thrown from the ATV she was riding.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Alice Vanmeter of Roach was driving an ATV at 8:20 p.m. when she drove off the road and hit a tree, a stump and a concrete retaining wall near Friar Tuck Drive and Robin Hood Lane.

MSHP said both Vanmeter and the ATV landed on a driveway below the retaining wall.

MSHP said Vanmeter was not wearing a helmet.

LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Two Kansas City nonprofits are getting a total of about $120,000 in federal funds to improve areas around the Middle Blue River.

The regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency says the grants to the Blue River Watershed Association and the Heartland Conservation Alliance are part of about $2 million in funding EPA’s providing to organizations around the country to help protect and restore urban waters.

The Kansas City groups are getting about $60,000 each for projects that include involving underserved youth in water quality monitoring studies and identifying vacant land in the watershed for possible low-impact development.

The Urban Waters Federal Partnership is a collaboration of 13 federal agencies working to reconnect urban communities with their waterways. The Middle Blue River was added as a project in 2013.

 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Three people have been charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Springfield man.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that 19-year-old Tyler Allen Keithley, 18-year-old Jeremiah Devaliti and 23-year-old Kearstain Sleeth were charged Wednesday with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and first-degree burglary.

The three are accused of killing Curtis Payne in February.

Authorities say the three are accused of forcing their way into a home, where Payne was later found dead. An autopsy showed Payne died of a shotgun wound to the chest, but also had four other gunshot wounds.

Online court records don’t list lawyers for the defendants, all of whom are in custody.

KEN SWEET, AP Markets Writer

 

KIMBERLY HEFLING, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campus sexual assault victims are joining senators on Capitol Hill in announcing legislation designed to make colleges more accountable to rape victims.