Eye exams are now required for children ages 3 to 6 when first starting public school or preschool

Add eye exams to your back-to-school checklist, because state law now requires children aged 3 through 6 who are entering a public school or preschool program for the first time to have a vision exam.

Online health-insurance exchange will differ in several ways from those in other states; scheduled to go online Oct. 1

Kentucky is solitary of 17 states setting up its own online health-insurance argument under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. A modern inform provides a some degree of renew around the process, and reminds us to facilitate

Judge OKs Medicaid expansion and health insurance exchange

A expert upheld Gov. Steve Beshear's decisions to increase Medicaid and calibrate up the state's health-insurance swap over under federal vigor reform, but his adversaries say they will carry on to fight in quad.

Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd's two rulings mean so as to implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, through Medicaid development and the vigor swap over will carry on as intended, by the side of smallest amount in support of at the moment.

Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd

Tea Party broadminded David Adams filed a proceedings in April challenging the governor's authorized authority to create the insurance swap over, which is called Kynect and begins enrollment Oct 1, lacking at the outset seeking admiration from the General Assembly.

Beshear announces rates in health-insurance exchange

Beshear notes that 15 percent of Kentuckians are uninsured (light green in pie chart); at left is
Kynect Director Carrie Banahan; at right is Health and Family Services Secretary Audrey Haynes.

Tossing not worth it the at the outset examples of could you repeat that? Kentuckians will recompense in support of necessary vigor coverage through the state vigor insurance swap over so as to opens Oct. 1, Gov. Steve Beshear predicted days gone by, "The vast majority of frequent are leaving to be very excited almost could you repeat that? They attain. . . . When they check it not worth it, they’re gonna sign up."

Kentucky poverty rate is fifth highest in U.S., but a larger share of Kentuckians had health insurance in 2012 than in 2011

In 2012, as U.S. incomes remained lower and poverty rates higher than in 2007, the year before the recession, Kentucky poverty rates increased and one in four Kentucky children were living in poverty, according to estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. However, the percentage of Kentuckians with health insurance increased.

Kentucky had the fifth highest percentage of residents living in poverty (19.4 percent) in 2012, up from 18.8 percent in 2011. It ranked behind Mississippi (24.2 percent), New Mexico (20.8), Louisiana (19.9) and Arkansas (19.8). However, it was statistically tied with the last two states for third place because the error margin for the estimates is plus or minus 0.5 percentage points. Nationally, 2012 was the second straight year that the U.S. poverty rate had failed to improve. It remained at 15 percent, with 46.5 million people earning at or below the federal poverty line. Click here for an interactive poverty rate map from Stateline.