KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
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Rising costs have made health care harder to afford and access.
The average family of four with health insurance spent $31,065 in medical costs, including insurance premiums, in 2023, according to debt.org.
The expense is why the Carpenters Union in Kansas City is trying to meet its members in the middle.
The Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council held a ribbon cutting for the Kansas City Wellness Center Tuesday. The center gives its members and dependents primary care, mental health services, a pharmacy, chiropractic care and more with no out-of-pocket fees.
“As part of a union, we don't get paid days off, so if we need to get our eyes looked at, we have to schedule a day off to go do that,” said Local 315 commercial carpenter Ian Hamilton. “If we want to come in and get blood work done, we're going to schedule a day off to do that. But here, we can do it all in one day.”
Through this one-stop-for-care model, the union wants to lead the way in preventative care. Union leaders also hope to cut down overall health care spending for members in the long run, too.
“All in the same building, all in the same day,” said Brad Kulifay, health fund assistant administrator. “Take care of your whole family ... and leave your wallet at home.”
Hamilton said the need this fills is more important now than ever before.
“Projects end and layoffs happen," he said. "You're sometimes scrambling to find another job and things like that, and we need our mental health taken care of as well as our physical health.”
