The New York Times recently ran a story about the health care system in the state of Hawaii. You can read the entire story on the HCF web site policy page.

Since 1974 Hawaii has required all employers to provide health care benefits to employees who work 20 hours a week or more. Is this expensive? What are the health outcomes? The Times story states that “Hawaii’s health insurance premiums are nearly tied with North Dakota for the lowest in the country and Medicare costs per beneficiary are the nation’s lowest”…and “Hawaii residents live longer than people in the rest of the country”. According to the story, the doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and most importantly the citizens of Hawaii all support this kind of insurance coverage.

In the last fifty years the United States has built a series of modern networks that are essential to our economy and our quality of life – our power grid, phone system, water systems, interstate highways and the internet. But with health coverage we are stuck in the 1940’s. We have the equivalent of scattered wells, individual generators, and county roads but no health coverage infrastructures we can rely on---no system for making sure that all people have health coverage.

As US Senator Olympia Snowe said so eloquently two weeks ago when she cast her vote in the Senate Finance Committee mark up: “When history calls – history calls!” Now is the time for Congress to find an American solution for reforming the US health system. States like Hawaii give us hope that we can find a health solution that guarantees quality health care as a “right’ for all rather than a “privilege” for some of us.

Something wonderful happened in KC last week and very few people noticed. This change will positively affect the lives and health outcomes of thousands of residents.

Last week the KCMO Health Department in partnership with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced the most comprehensive change in more than thirty years to the WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) program.

Under the new rules:
- WIC clients can purchase whole grains and fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables

- Beginning at 6 months of age, all infants receive infant fruits and vegetables, while fully breastfed infants also receive infant meats.

- Juice is eliminated for infants

- Canned beans are offered as an alternative to milk, with medical documentation

- The amount of infant formula is reduced for partially breastfed and older infants

- Increases in the amount of food are provided to mothers who breastfeed their babies full time to better promote and support the establishment of successful long-term breastfeeding.

State health officials believe breastfeeding is the healthiest option for both babies and moms. The state WIC director Lyn Konstant says “breast milk contains all the nutrients a baby needs for the first six months and reduces the risk of allergies, diabetes and certain childhood cancers. Babies who are breastfed have lower rates of obesity as they grow older. Breastfeeding also helps a new mother lose the weight she gained during pregnancy.”

To learn more about the WIC program to determine if you qualify please go to the state WIC web site: http://www.dhss.mo.gov/wic For more information on local WIC clinic hours please call 816-513-6360 or visit the KCMO Health Department web site: http://www.kcmo.org/health