KDHE Secretary Delivers State of Public Health Address

Topeka – Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Secretary Lee Norman, MD, delivered “2020: The State of the Health of Kansans” to the Kansas Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee this morning.  Dr. Norman will deliver the same presentation to the Kansas House Health and Human Services Committee Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. This is the first time KDHE has delivered such address to the Kansas Legislature.

“As the State Health Officer, it is my duty to look at the health of our state and provide education on what we as a state can do at an individual level, a community level and a government level,” said Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of KDHE. “Health isn’t just medical care. It’s our behaviors, our environment, our policies and our outcomes.”

Since 1990, Kansas has seen the greatest decline in its health rankings according to America’s Health Rankings published December 6, 2019.

• Behaviors – Kansas ranks #38 in the survey for obesity rates and #30 for smoking.
• Environment – Kansas ranks #21 in the U.S. for the number of children living in poverty. Kansas’ chlamydia numbers are twice the healthiest state, at 465 per 100,000.
• Policy – Kansas ranks #49 in U.S. for females receiving the HPV vaccine and #34 for males. Kansas ranks #32 for children 19-35 months receiving completed vaccines at 69 percent. Kansas ranks 40^th for the amount of dollars in public health funding at $60/person. This is 4.5 times less than the top state at $281/per person.
• Medical Care – There is low access to dentists, particularly in rural Kansas. Kansas ranks #38 with 50 dentists per 100,000. Kansas also ranks #35 for mental health providers.
• Outcomes – Kansas ranks in the bottom half on cancer, cardiovascular and diabetes deaths; frequent mental distress; infant mortality; and premature deaths in years lost before age 75.

“What this data suggests is that Kansas needs to improve access to care – addressing the shortage of medical professionals, financial impediments and geographic maldistribution among others,” said Dr. Norman. “It suggests that we have unhealthy behaviors that need to be remedied and that there’s a need for active illness prevention and intervention.”

Dr. Norman continued, “Every Kansan can take steps to improve our state’s health – increase your physical activity, be mindful of proper nutrition and make sure your family is up-to-date on immunizations. It’s also critical that we as a state look beyond ourselves and our families, to our neighbors and community members. It’s time for us to intervene and invest in the health of Kansans.”

And they’re off…  legislators trying to get as much as possible accomplished in 90 days.  Our Kansas Constitution limits the legislature to 90 days in even number years.

Property Taxes.  You have been telling me that increasing appraisals are automatically increasing your property taxes and I have been listening.  This last summer I, with the help of other legislators, have been working on solutions.   To increase taxes should require a vote by the commissioners and not automatically increase by the action of the appraiser.  Being Chairmen of the Senate Tax Committee, I will be working on this as well as improving the process to appeal property taxes.  Bills are being introduced to increase transparency and improve the process.  I will keep you updated.

Kansas government has out-of-control spending.  Last January, 2019, Governor Kelly submitted her large budget to the legislature and the legislature sent it back to her with $182 million dollars more spending then she requested.  She could have line-item vetoed this increase but she didn’t.   I did not support last year’s out of control budget and I will not support any reckless budget that spends more than we are taking in.

The Governor promised she wouldn’t raise taxes. A few days ago in this year’s State-of-the-State speech she said she would submit a budget that would honor her promise to cut taxes.  However, in her budget presented the next day she asked for sales tax to be put on all digital video, audiobooks, pictures, greeting cards, games, and streaming services.  That would increase state revenues by $26.7 million.  Sounds like a tax increase to me.

The Governor also proposed $54 million in property tax relief.  Kansans pay around $5 billion in property taxes.  The $54 million Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction (LAVTR) the Governor proposed could provide a small temporary cut if local authorities pass the money on to the taxpayer.  For example, a property tax bill of $1,000 could be reduced by $10 if all of the LAVTR was passed on to the taxpayer.    That would not be a solution for the ever-increasing property appraisals that are automatically increasing your taxes.  We need a solution that addresses the heart of the problem and that is what I am bringing forward in the Senate.

What about our President…  He brought back prayer in our public schools last week.

It’s an honor and  privilege serving as your Senator.

Caryn