Community Health Corner
June 23, 2026
Submitted by Elaine Johannes
America’s Health Ranking Kansas Summary Report for 2025, lists Kansas as number 27 of the 50 states in overall health of its residents. K-State Extension is working with others to improve everyone’s health and Kansas’ ranking.
Check-out a newly released video that highlights examples of K-State Extension’s contributions to community health: K-State Extension Community Health
The following resources help us improve well-being and achieve national Healthy People 2030 objectives:
Insurer Participation in ACA Marketplaces Is Down: A new analysis from KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) shows that for the first time since the enhanced premium tax credits were introduced in 2021, insurer participation in the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces has fallen.
KFF’s analysis found that the average number of issuers offering plans on the marketplaces declined to nine issuers per state in 2026, compared to 9.6 issuers per state in 2025. This is largely due to Aetna’s exit from 17 states. In addition, 3 in 10 counties have fewer participating ACA insurers than last year. In 165 US counties, there is just one issuer offering ACA Marketplace plans, compared to 93 counties in 2025.
According to KFF, a major factor leading to the number of insurers leaving the marketplaces is how many people have coverage. The KFF analysis is here.
Earlier this year, the Kansas Health Institute (KHI) released a review of the martketplace in Kansas. The KHI report is available here.
Vapes, Nicotine and Kids: The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Community Health Promotion and Safe Kids Kansas program has released a new resource, “Vapes, Nicotine and Kids: What Every Caregiver Should Know,” in collaboration with Kansas Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and the Kansas Poison Center.
The KDHE resource shows that youth nicotine products are often disguised as everyday items.
Key recommendations include locking up nicotine products, recognizing signs of use, and utilizing the Kansas Tobacco Quitline for support.
Additionally, there are connections between vaping and negative impacts on youth mental health. In 2023, a Kansas Department of Education (KSDE) report revealed that 60.4% of youth of Kansas high school students who were using electronic vapor products (EVPs) reporting symptoms of depression. Learn more about youth vaping and KDHE resources here.
Opportunities:
- Online KCSL Trainings: The Kansas Children’s Service League (KCSL) offers Adverse Childhood Experiences, Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences trainings and more from July -September. Enroll here.
- 9th Annual Kansas Prevention Conference is Oct. 15-16, Wichita: This year’s state conference focuses on innovative approaches in substance misuse or suicide prevention. Community‑centered, trauma‑informed practices will also be highlighted. Save the date.
- 2026 Kansas CTC (Communities That Care) Survey Results are Now Available: Youth and Young Adult Survey reports are now available on Kansas youth mental health, substance use, connection to community-school-family and more. An infographic of the survey results is available here. Complete survey details are here.
For more information, contact Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu, professor in community health and state extension specialist.
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