TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. (AP) — Thrill-seeking billionaire Richard Branson has reached space aboard his own winged rocket ship in his boldest adventure yet. The feat vaults the nearly 71-year-old Branson past fellow billionaire and rival Jeff Bezos, who is planning to fly to space in a craft of his own nine days from now.

With about 500 people watching, including Branson’s wife, children and grandchildren, a twin-fuselage aircraft with his space plane attached underneath took off in the first stage of the flight. 

Aboard were Branson and five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space-tourism company. The space plane then detached from the mother ship at an altitude of about 8 1/2 miles and fired its engine, reaching the edge of space at about 53 miles up.

The space ship then made a safe landing .

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. (AP) — Thrill-seeking billionaire Richard Branson strapped in and set off Sunday on his boldest adventure yet — a bid to reach space aboard his own winged rocket ship.

A successful flight would vault the nearly 71-year-old Branson past fellow billionaire and rival Jeff Bezos, who is planning to fly to space in a craft of his own nine days from now.

With a crowd of more than 500 people watching, a twin-fuselage aircraft with Branson’s space plane attached underneath took off in the first stage of the flight. Aboard were Branson and five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space-tourism company.

The plan was for the space plane to detach from the mother ship at an altitude of about 8 miles (13 kilometers), fire its rocket engine and then pierce the edge of space at about 55 miles (88 kilometers) up. After a few minutes of weightlessness for the crew, the space plane was supposed to glide to a runway landing.

The flight was intended as a confidence-boosting plug for Virgin Galactic, which plans to start taking paying customers on joyrides next year.

“It’s a beautiful day to go to space,” Branson tweeted in the morning, posting a photo of himself with fellow billionaire and space-tourism rival Elon Musk.

Branson, the flamboyant, London-born founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, wasn’t supposed to fly until later this summer. But he assigned himself to an earlier flight after Bezos announced plans to ride his own rocket ship into space from Texas on July 20.

More than 600 people have already made reservations for a ride into space with Virgin Galactic, founded in 2004.

Bezos’ Blue Origin has yet to open ticket sales or even announce prices, but late last week boasted via Twitter that it would take clients higher and offer bigger windows.

Unlike Blue Origin and Musk’s SpaceX both launch capsules atop rockets.

Virgin Galactic made three previous test flights into space with a crew.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626017756153.png" alt="Branson aboard Space Ship Unity Sunday-image courtesy Virgin Galactic" />
 <figcaption>Branson aboard Space Ship Unity Sunday-image courtesy Virgin Galactic</figcaption>
 </figure>TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. (AP) — Thrill-seeking billionaire Richard Branson has reached space aboard his own winged rocket ship in his boldest adventure yet. The feat vaults the nearly 71-year-old Branson past fellow billionaire and rival Jeff Bezos, who is planning to fly to space in a craft of his own nine days from now.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH LIVE: <a href="https://twitter.com/richardbranson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RichardBranson</a> and crew of mission specialists fly to space on <a href="https://twitter.com/virgingalactic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VirginGalactic</a>’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Unity22?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Unity22</a>. A new space age is here... <a href="https://t.co/kLI6mGCUro">https://t.co/kLI6mGCUro</a>&mdash; Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) <a href="https://twitter.com/virgingalactic/status/1414229297267503107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>With about 500 people watching, including Branson’s wife, children and grandchildren, a twin-fuselage aircraft with his space plane attached underneath took off in the first stage of the flight. Aboard were Branson and five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space-tourism company. The space plane then detached from the mother ship at an altitude of about 8 1/2 miles and fired its engine, reaching the edge of space at about 53 miles up.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626018332404.png" alt="Unity 22 space craft following the safe landing just after 10:30 a.m CDT -image courtesy Virgin Galactic" />
 <figcaption>Unity 22 space craft following the safe landing just after 10:30 a.m CDT -image courtesy Virgin Galactic</figcaption>
 </figure>The space ship then made a safe landing .------TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. (AP) — Thrill-seeking billionaire Richard Branson strapped in and set off Sunday on his boldest adventure yet — a bid to reach space aboard his own winged rocket ship.A successful flight would vault the nearly 71-year-old Branson past fellow billionaire and rival Jeff Bezos, who is planning to fly to space in a craft of his own nine days from now.With a crowd of more than 500 people watching, a twin-fuselage aircraft with Branson’s space plane attached underneath took off in the first stage of the flight. Aboard were Branson and five crewmates from his Virgin Galactic space-tourism company.The plan was for the space plane to detach from the mother ship at an altitude of about 8 miles (13 kilometers), fire its rocket engine and then pierce the edge of space at about 55 miles (88 kilometers) up. After a few minutes of weightlessness for the crew, the space plane was supposed to glide to a runway landing.The flight was intended as a confidence-boosting plug for Virgin Galactic, which plans to start taking paying customers on joyrides next year.“It’s a beautiful day to go to space,” Branson tweeted in the morning, posting a photo of himself with fellow billionaire and space-tourism rival Elon Musk.Branson, the flamboyant, London-born founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways, wasn’t supposed to fly until later this summer. But he assigned himself to an earlier flight after Bezos announced plans to ride his own rocket ship into space from Texas on July 20.More than 600 people have already made reservations for a ride into space with Virgin Galactic, founded in 2004.Bezos’ Blue Origin has yet to open ticket sales or even announce prices, but late last week boasted via Twitter that it would take clients higher and offer bigger windows.Unlike Blue Origin and Musk’s SpaceX both launch capsules atop rockets.Virgin Galactic made three previous test flights into space with a crew.___

Billionaire Richard Branson reaches space in his own ship

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-09/here-are-some-of-the-kansas-hospitals-flouting-a-federal-rule-to-publish-their-prices">Kansas News Service</a>

As researchers, advocacy groups and employers push hospitals to 
reveal their prices, the industry continues to cloak what it considers 
trade secrets.

Now — in violation of <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210112.545531/full/" target="_blank">federal rules</a>
 demanding hospitals make those figures public six months ago — The 
University of Kansas Health System, Olathe Health and Children’s Mercy 
hospital systems still don’t publish them.

They’re joined by 
possibly thousands of hospitals nationwide and scores in Kansas that 
haven’t budged since a Trump administration decision took effect on <a href="https://www.cms.gov/hospital-price-transparency" target="_blank">Jan. 1</a> requiring them to reveal prices they’ve long kept guarded.

“We
 have not met the deadline. … I guess that makes us in violation,” a KU 
Health System spokesperson wrote in an email. “We are working on it.”

Other
 hospitals offered similar comments, or noted that they’ve launched 
interactive web tools that let patients get price estimates for certain 
services, such as giving birth.

Those user-friendly formats — such as <a href="https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/patient-visitor/financial/patient-bills/services-fees/charge-descriptions" target="_blank">this one</a>
 from KU Health System — for “shoppable” services are part of the same 
federal rule. But since it is effectively impossible for researchers, 
employers and health plans to use the tools to study broader trends in 
pricing, hospitals must also release their prices in machine-readable 
files that often contain many thousands of lines of data.

“We do 
not yet have an anticipated date” for publishing, another hospital 
system said. The Mercy hospital system, not to be confused with 
Children’s Mercy, operates facilities including the one in Columbus, 
southeastern Kansas.

One hospital system, Olathe Health, argued that launching its price 
estimate tool and posting a spreadsheet of gross charges is enough to 
fulfill the rule. But the federal government <a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/steps-machine-readable-file.pdf" target="_blank">says otherwise</a>.

Hospitals fought the Trump administration’s rule and tried to block it in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/upshot/hospitals-lost-price-transparency-lawsuit.html" target="_blank">federal court</a>, but failed. Now
 hospitals appear willing to risk nominal fines rather than share prices
 in a format that experts hope could help corral costs.

The 
industry claims the numbers could confuse patients about what prices 
they’ll ultimately pay, since insurers often pick up part of the tab. 
They also say billing calculations are <a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2020/07/opening-appeals-brief-disclosure-negotiated-charges-7-17-20.pdf" target="_blank">exceedingly complex</a>, not easy to publish, and that revealing the prices could give insurance companies unfair leverage in future negotiations.

“Our concerns include that the transparency file doesn’t reflect what a patient actually pays,” KU Health System said.

But publishing prices en masse
 could arm communities with solid numbers to push for better deals on 
health care. Thousands of people in one Colorado county did just that, 
banding together to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-02/while-kansas-keeps-hospital-data-under-lock-and-key-colorado-helps-employers-dig-into-cost-of-care" target="_blank">negotiate new prices</a> at a local hospital and save an estimated $2 million last year.

Transparency could also settle arguments about which hospitals offer reasonable prices.

Last
 year, employers handed over hundreds of KU Hospital bills to the RAND 
Corp. as part of a major effort to compare prices nationwide. The think 
tank’s findings suggested KU Hospital was one of the priciest in the 
country. The KU Health System <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-25/employers-compared-notes-on-secret-prices-at-kansas-hospitals-to-boost-their-leverage-on-costs" target="_blank">disagreed</a>.

How many hospitals are out of compliance?

It’s unclear just how many hospitals have released their prices.

Last month, researchers from the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10775587211024786" target="_blank">University of Minnesota</a> and <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2781019" target="_blank">Harvard University</a>
 each released studies that involved checking hundreds of hospitals. 
Their results both suggested that a quarter or fewer of the nation’s 
hospitals had published everything they should.

Far more 
had created those interactive web tools. For Suhas Gondi — a graduate 
student in medicine and business and lead author of the Harvard study — 
that illustrates hospitals’ resistance.

“They’re OK investing the money to build a price estimator,” Gondi said, “But they’re not OK just posting the spreadsheet.”

Even among those that did post the spreadsheets, the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-hide-pricing-data-from-search-results-11616405402" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a> found hundreds of hospitals used html code to prevent the price lists from appearing in Google searches.

Early this year, California-based data collection firm <a href="https://turquoise.health/" target="_blank">Turquoise Health</a>
 set out to pull together the machine-readable files of every hospital 
in the country. That massive task requires scouring thousands of web 
pages month after month to see if more facilities have complied.

“It’s
 important for people to finally have access to that data,” said Marcus 
Dorstel, Turquoise’s head of operations. “You might be able to save a 
couple thousand dollars driving 10 miles down the street for your MRI.”

Turquoise’s
 latest count: About half the nation’s hospitals have posted some 
prices, but nearly a third of those didn’t publish everything that the 
federal rules say they should. Only a quarter of Kansas hospitals hit 
the mark, as far as Turquoise has found. The company continues to review
 newly posted files.

Some hospitals post only partial information,
 not the full picture. The federal rule requires making public not just 
the gross prices that don’t apply to most patients, but also cash 
discounts and the prices specific to each health plan.

No one knows how long it could take for all hospitals to comply.

The federal government has sent warning letters to some facilities, <a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/cms-sent-out-its-first-wave-warnings-to-hospitals-noncompliant-its-new-price-transparency" target="_blank">Fierce Health Care</a>
 reported, but observers remain skeptical that the U.S. Centers for 
Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services has the bandwidth to police the rule 
broadly, and they don’t think the potential $300 a day fine for 
violation generates much urgency.

That “amounts to nothing” for many hospitals, Gondi said.

Given
 that the American Hospital Association fought the rule in court last 
year, it’s possible some thought the rule would never take effect.

“Many
 in the industry hoped this would not come to fruition,” said Jean 
Abraham, an author of the University of Minnesota study. “But it did.”

Abraham,
 a professor of health care administration, was a senior economist on 
the Council of Economic Advisors under the Obama administration. She 
worked on the Affordable Care Act.

One thing that law didn’t 
manage to do was slow down the rising cost of care, she said. The 
transparency rule could shed light on the vast variations in prices that
 people pay for the same services. Whether that ends up pushing down 
prices could vary by market, but Abraham said it’s worth trying.

“As
 opposed to the generalization of ‘Well prices are just so high,’ ” 
Abraham said, “Let’s ask, ‘How high are they? And are there other places
 you could go as a consumer?’ ”

This is part three of our series on hospital prices. Read <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-29/kansas-knows-what-hospitals-get-paid-but-says-it-cant-tell-a-group-that-compares-prices-nationally" target="_blank">part 1</a> and <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-02/while-kansas-keeps-hospital-data-under-lock-and-key-colorado-helps-employers-dig-into-cost-of-care" target="_blank">part 2</a>.

Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. 
You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625855558236.png" alt="Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3" />
 <figcaption>Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-09/here-are-some-of-the-kansas-hospitals-flouting-a-federal-rule-to-publish-their-prices">Kansas News Service</a>As researchers, advocacy groups and employers push hospitals to 
reveal their prices, the industry continues to cloak what it considers 
trade secrets.Now — in violation of <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210112.545531/full/" target="_blank">federal rules</a>
 demanding hospitals make those figures public six months ago — The 
University of Kansas Health System, Olathe Health and Children’s Mercy 
hospital systems still don’t publish them.They’re joined by 
possibly thousands of hospitals nationwide and scores in Kansas that 
haven’t budged since a Trump administration decision took effect on <a href="https://www.cms.gov/hospital-price-transparency" target="_blank">Jan. 1</a> requiring them to reveal prices they’ve long kept guarded.“We
 have not met the deadline. … I guess that makes us in violation,” a KU 
Health System spokesperson wrote in an email. “We are working on it.”Other
 hospitals offered similar comments, or noted that they’ve launched 
interactive web tools that let patients get price estimates for certain 
services, such as giving birth.Those user-friendly formats — such as <a href="https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/patient-visitor/financial/patient-bills/services-fees/charge-descriptions" target="_blank">this one</a>
 from KU Health System — for “shoppable” services are part of the same 
federal rule. But since it is effectively impossible for researchers, 
employers and health plans to use the tools to study broader trends in 
pricing, hospitals must also release their prices in machine-readable 
files that often contain many thousands of lines of data.“We do 
not yet have an anticipated date” for publishing, another hospital 
system said. The Mercy hospital system, not to be confused with 
Children’s Mercy, operates facilities including the one in Columbus, 
southeastern Kansas.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601308401778.png" alt="This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org." />
 <figcaption>This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org.</figcaption>
 </figure>One hospital system, Olathe Health, argued that launching its price 
estimate tool and posting a spreadsheet of gross charges is enough to 
fulfill the rule. But the federal government <a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/steps-machine-readable-file.pdf" target="_blank">says otherwise</a>.Hospitals fought the Trump administration’s rule and tried to block it in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/upshot/hospitals-lost-price-transparency-lawsuit.html" target="_blank">federal court</a>, but failed. Now
 hospitals appear willing to risk nominal fines rather than share prices
 in a format that experts hope could help corral costs.The 
industry claims the numbers could confuse patients about what prices 
they’ll ultimately pay, since insurers often pick up part of the tab. 
They also say billing calculations are <a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2020/07/opening-appeals-brief-disclosure-negotiated-charges-7-17-20.pdf" target="_blank">exceedingly complex</a>, not easy to publish, and that revealing the prices could give insurance companies unfair leverage in future negotiations.“Our concerns include that the transparency file doesn’t reflect what a patient actually pays,” KU Health System said.But publishing prices en masse
 could arm communities with solid numbers to push for better deals on 
health care. Thousands of people in one Colorado county did just that, 
banding together to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-02/while-kansas-keeps-hospital-data-under-lock-and-key-colorado-helps-employers-dig-into-cost-of-care" target="_blank">negotiate new prices</a> at a local hospital and save an estimated $2 million last year.Transparency could also settle arguments about which hospitals offer reasonable prices.Last
 year, employers handed over hundreds of KU Hospital bills to the RAND 
Corp. as part of a major effort to compare prices nationwide. The think 
tank’s findings suggested KU Hospital was one of the priciest in the 
country. The KU Health System <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-09-25/employers-compared-notes-on-secret-prices-at-kansas-hospitals-to-boost-their-leverage-on-costs" target="_blank">disagreed</a>.<h2>How many hospitals are out of compliance?</h2>It’s unclear just how many hospitals have released their prices.Last month, researchers from the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10775587211024786" target="_blank">University of Minnesota</a> and <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2781019" target="_blank">Harvard University</a>
 each released studies that involved checking hundreds of hospitals. 
Their results both suggested that a quarter or fewer of the nation’s 
hospitals had published everything they should.Far more 
had created those interactive web tools. For Suhas Gondi — a graduate 
student in medicine and business and lead author of the Harvard study — 
that illustrates hospitals’ resistance.“They’re OK investing the money to build a price estimator,” Gondi said, “But they’re not OK just posting the spreadsheet.”Even among those that did post the spreadsheets, the <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-hide-pricing-data-from-search-results-11616405402" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a> found hundreds of hospitals used html code to prevent the price lists from appearing in Google searches.Early this year, California-based data collection firm <a href="https://turquoise.health/" target="_blank">Turquoise Health</a>
 set out to pull together the machine-readable files of every hospital 
in the country. That massive task requires scouring thousands of web 
pages month after month to see if more facilities have complied.“It’s
 important for people to finally have access to that data,” said Marcus 
Dorstel, Turquoise’s head of operations. “You might be able to save a 
couple thousand dollars driving 10 miles down the street for your MRI.”Turquoise’s
 latest count: About half the nation’s hospitals have posted some 
prices, but nearly a third of those didn’t publish everything that the 
federal rules say they should. Only a quarter of Kansas hospitals hit 
the mark, as far as Turquoise has found. The company continues to review
 newly posted files.Some hospitals post only partial information,
 not the full picture. The federal rule requires making public not just 
the gross prices that don’t apply to most patients, but also cash 
discounts and the prices specific to each health plan.<h2>What next?</h2>No one knows how long it could take for all hospitals to comply.The federal government has sent warning letters to some facilities, <a href="https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals/cms-sent-out-its-first-wave-warnings-to-hospitals-noncompliant-its-new-price-transparency" target="_blank">Fierce Health Care</a>
 reported, but observers remain skeptical that the U.S. Centers for 
Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services has the bandwidth to police the rule 
broadly, and they don’t think the potential $300 a day fine for 
violation generates much urgency.That “amounts to nothing” for many hospitals, Gondi said.Given
 that the American Hospital Association fought the rule in court last 
year, it’s possible some thought the rule would never take effect.“Many
 in the industry hoped this would not come to fruition,” said Jean 
Abraham, an author of the University of Minnesota study. “But it did.”Abraham,
 a professor of health care administration, was a senior economist on 
the Council of Economic Advisors under the Obama administration. She 
worked on the Affordable Care Act.One thing that law didn’t 
manage to do was slow down the rising cost of care, she said. The 
transparency rule could shed light on the vast variations in prices that
 people pay for the same services. Whether that ends up pushing down 
prices could vary by market, but Abraham said it’s worth trying.“As
 opposed to the generalization of ‘Well prices are just so high,’ ” 
Abraham said, “Let’s ask, ‘How high are they? And are there other places
 you could go as a consumer?’ ”This is part three of our series on hospital prices. Read <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-29/kansas-knows-what-hospitals-get-paid-but-says-it-cant-tell-a-group-that-compares-prices-nationally" target="_blank">part 1</a> and <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-02/while-kansas-keeps-hospital-data-under-lock-and-key-colorado-helps-employers-dig-into-cost-of-care" target="_blank">part 2</a>.Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. 
You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kansas hospitals flouting a federal rule to publish their prices

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — Missouri inspectors on Friday said it's safe to reopen a roller coaster attraction where an 11-year-old boy was severely injured last month in the tourist town of Branson.

Missouri's Division of Fire Safety is still investigating the accident that Aalondo Perry's grandmother has said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tn-state-wire-mo-state-wire-michael-brown-branson-lifestyle-911c3dd1fc180876e96e9d0643c5862a">crushed</a>&nbsp;the Tennessee boy's legs and one arm.

Perry, who is visually impaired, fell while getting off of The Branson Coaster, said his grandmother Shelandra Ford.

Missouri Department of Public Safety amusement ride experts performed multiple inspections and tests, reviewed procedures and interviewed the ride operator and witnesses of the crash before finding the coaster safe to ride again

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — The grandmother of an 11-year-old Tennessee boy who was injured on a roller coaster in Missouri says doctors are concerned his legs might have to be amputated.

Aalondo Perry, who is visually impaired, was injured Sunday when he fell while getting off of The Branson Coaster during a visit to the southwest Missouri tourist town of Branson, said his grandmother Shelandra Ford.

Ford&nbsp;<a href="https://wreg.com/news/collierville-boy-seriously-injured-in-branson-roller-coaster-accident/">told</a>&nbsp;WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, that Aalondo tried to ride the coaster in one car with his 13-year-old brother but they were told he would be safe riding in a car alone.

Ford said she was told Aalondo fell when he tried to get off after the roller coaster stopped. When the ride restarted, he was trapped under the rails. It took the Branson fire department about 1 1/2 hours to rescue him, she said.

His legs and right arm were crushed, and doctors don’t know if they will be able to save his legs, Ford said.

“They are talking about amputation,” said Ford. “He has had two surgeries so far since (Monday) morning — skin grafts — and he is going have at least six or seven more before they can even see progress. He’s heavily sedated and in a lot of pain.”

Ford, who is the Shelby County, Tennessee, register of deeds, said her grandson has Marfan syndrome — a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue. It can cause eye problems, among other things. Aalondo, who is from the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tenessee, has just 15% vision in one of his eyes, according to his grandmother. He recently learned Braille and how to be mobile with his cane.

Ford said she is grateful Aalondo survived but she believes that if the brothers couldn't ride together, they should not have been allowed to get on it.

The Missouri Division of Fire Safety is investigating. Two inspectors who were in Branson have seven days to finish their report and the agency cannot comment while the investigation is ongoing, Caty Luebbert, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday.

Ford said she has hired an attorney. She said she hopes to move her grandson to a children’s hospital in Memphis this week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624290162308.png" alt="First responders on the scene at the roller coaster in Branson last month- photo <a href="https://www.ky3.com/2021/06/21/firefighters-rescue-person-entrapped-underneath-branson-coaster-sunday/">courtesy KYTV</a>" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene at the roller coaster in Branson last month- photo <a href="https://www.ky3.com/2021/06/21/firefighters-rescue-person-entrapped-underneath-branson-coaster-sunday/">courtesy KYTV</a></figcaption>
 </figure>BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — Missouri inspectors on Friday said it's safe to reopen a roller coaster attraction where an 11-year-old boy was severely injured last month in the tourist town of Branson.Missouri's Division of Fire Safety is still investigating the accident that Aalondo Perry's grandmother has said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tn-state-wire-mo-state-wire-michael-brown-branson-lifestyle-911c3dd1fc180876e96e9d0643c5862a">crushed</a>&nbsp;the Tennessee boy's legs and one arm.Perry, who is visually impaired, fell while getting off of The Branson Coaster, said his grandmother Shelandra Ford.Missouri Department of Public Safety amusement ride experts performed multiple inspections and tests, reviewed procedures and interviewed the ride operator and witnesses of the crash before finding the coaster safe to ride again--------BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — The grandmother of an 11-year-old Tennessee boy who was injured on a roller coaster in Missouri says doctors are concerned his legs might have to be amputated.Aalondo Perry, who is visually impaired, was injured Sunday when he fell while getting off of The Branson Coaster during a visit to the southwest Missouri tourist town of Branson, said his grandmother Shelandra Ford.Ford&nbsp;<a href="https://wreg.com/news/collierville-boy-seriously-injured-in-branson-roller-coaster-accident/">told</a>&nbsp;WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, that Aalondo tried to ride the coaster in one car with his 13-year-old brother but they were told he would be safe riding in a car alone.Ford said she was told Aalondo fell when he tried to get off after the roller coaster stopped. When the ride restarted, he was trapped under the rails. It took the Branson fire department about 1 1/2 hours to rescue him, she said.His legs and right arm were crushed, and doctors don’t know if they will be able to save his legs, Ford said.“They are talking about amputation,” said Ford. “He has had two surgeries so far since (Monday) morning — skin grafts — and he is going have at least six or seven more before they can even see progress. He’s heavily sedated and in a lot of pain.”Ford, who is the Shelby County, Tennessee, register of deeds, said her grandson has Marfan syndrome — a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue. It can cause eye problems, among other things. Aalondo, who is from the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tenessee, has just 15% vision in one of his eyes, according to his grandmother. He recently learned Braille and how to be mobile with his cane.Ford said she is grateful Aalondo survived but she believes that if the brothers couldn't ride together, they should not have been allowed to get on it.The Missouri Division of Fire Safety is investigating. Two inspectors who were in Branson have seven days to finish their report and the agency cannot comment while the investigation is ongoing, Caty Luebbert, a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday.Ford said she has hired an attorney. She said she hopes to move her grandson to a children’s hospital in Memphis this week.

Branson coaster cleared to open after boy hurt in accident

MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a traffic stop.

Just before 4p.m. Thursday deputies and a Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at 19th and Maple Street in Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

The deputy contacted the driver identified as Joshua Werner of Cherryvale and a passenger identified as Judy Eastwood of Neodesha.

While speaking with Werner, the deputy detected an odor of marijuana, according to Wade. He also learned Werner did not have a valid driver's license.&nbsp; The deputy arrested him for not having the license.

During a search of the vehicle, deputies found marijuana, meth, drug paraphernalia and cash. All the illegal items were found on Eastwood's side of the vehicle and in her bag, according to Wade.

Deputies took both of Werner and Eastwood to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections. Eastwood transported narcotics she had concealed into the correctional facility. She is being held on requested drug and trafficking charges. Werner was jailed for the licensce violation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625861529042.png" alt="Eastwood-photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Eastwood-photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a traffic stop.Just before 4p.m. Thursday deputies and a Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle at 19th and Maple Street in Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.The deputy contacted the driver identified as Joshua Werner of Cherryvale and a passenger identified as Judy Eastwood of Neodesha.While speaking with Werner, the deputy detected an odor of marijuana, according to Wade. He also learned Werner did not have a valid driver's license.&nbsp; The deputy arrested him for not having the license.During a search of the vehicle, deputies found marijuana, meth, drug paraphernalia and cash. All the illegal items were found on Eastwood's side of the vehicle and in her bag, according to Wade.Deputies took both of Werner and Eastwood to the Montgomery County Department of Corrections. Eastwood transported narcotics she had concealed into the correctional facility. She is being held on requested drug and trafficking charges. Werner was jailed for the licensce violation.

Kan. woman hid drugs from deputies during traffic stop

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man after he allegedly threatened two victims with a gun.

Just before 10p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a disturbance with a gun call at the apartments in the 1000 block of North Ridge Road in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

Upon arrival, officers contacted a 30-year-old woman and 50-year-old woman.&nbsp; &nbsp;They reported getting into a verbal disturbance with&nbsp;32-year-old Mitchell Jensen of Wichita as they entered the apartments parking lot.&nbsp; Jensen then followed them and pointed a handgun at the 30-year-old.&nbsp; No one was injured in the incident.

Officers located Jensen at an apartment in the complex, and he was arrested without incident on requested charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm while under the influence. Officers also recovered a handgun during the investigation, according to Davidson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625771579786.png" alt="Jensen photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Jensen photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man after he allegedly threatened two victims with a gun.Just before 10p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a disturbance with a gun call at the apartments in the 1000 block of North Ridge Road in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.Upon arrival, officers contacted a 30-year-old woman and 50-year-old woman.&nbsp; &nbsp;They reported getting into a verbal disturbance with&nbsp;32-year-old Mitchell Jensen of Wichita as they entered the apartments parking lot.&nbsp; Jensen then followed them and pointed a handgun at the 30-year-old.&nbsp; No one was injured in the incident.Officers located Jensen at an apartment in the complex, and he was arrested without incident on requested charges of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm while under the influence. Officers also recovered a handgun during the investigation, according to Davidson.

Police: Kan. man threatened 2 women with a gun

OSAGE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating the case of a missing Kansas man as a homicide.

In May 2013, 43-year-old Jeffrey Myers of Ottawa, was reported to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, as a missing person, according to a media release.

  His family had last been in contact with him in August 2012.  The Sheriff’s Office has conducted hundreds of interviews and several searches, since the time of the report.  Throughout the duration of this investigation, Franklin County has worked with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Topeka Police Department and the Osage County Sheriff’s Office.  

In March 2021, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office recovered human remains, at a remote location in Osage County.  Lab testing has positively identified the remains as Jeffrey Myers.  

On Friday, the Osage County Sheriff Office they are now actively investigating this case as a homicide. 

 Anyone with information about this Homicide is asked to contact the Osage County Sheriff’s Office at 785-828-3121, Osage County Crimestoppers at 877-OSCRIME, or e-mail: tips@oscosheriff.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625943987501.png" alt="Myers had previous convictions for burglary, theft, robbery, obstruction and drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. He was released from prison in 2012" />
 <figcaption>Myers had previous convictions for burglary, theft, robbery, obstruction and drugs, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. He was released from prison in 2012</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating the case of a missing Kansas man as a homicide.In May 2013, 43-year-old Jeffrey Myers of Ottawa, was reported to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, as a missing person, according to a media release. His family had last been in contact with him in August 2012. The Sheriff’s Office has conducted hundreds of interviews and several searches, since the time of the report. Throughout the duration of this investigation, Franklin County has worked with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Topeka Police Department and the Osage County Sheriff’s Office. In March 2021, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office recovered human remains, at a remote location in Osage County. Lab testing has positively identified the remains as Jeffrey Myers. On Friday, the Osage County Sheriff Office they are now actively investigating this case as a homicide. Anyone with information about this Homicide is asked to contact the Osage County Sheriff’s Office at 785-828-3121, Osage County Crimestoppers at 877-OSCRIME, or e-mail: tips@oscosheriff.org.

Sheriff: 8-year-old case of missing Kan. man now a homicide investigation

AMERICUS, Kan. (AP) — A civil rights group is threatening to sue a Kansas school district if it doesn’t train employees about LGBTQ rights in response to an eighth-grade student being suspended from riding a school bus after saying, “I’m a lesbian.” 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas sent a letter This week to the 350-student North Lyon County school district about 60 miles southwest of Topeka. The ACLU is representing student Izzy Dieker. 

She was suspended from her bus for two days in January but the ACLU's legal director says the girl didn’t ride again for two weeks because she felt humiliated. The district superintendent didn't immediately comment.

AMERICUS, Kan. (AP) — A civil rights group is threatening to sue a Kansas school district if it doesn’t train employees about LGBTQ rights in response to an eighth-grade student being suspended from riding a school bus after saying, “I’m a lesbian.” The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas sent a letter This week to the 350-student North Lyon County school district about 60 miles southwest of Topeka. The ACLU is representing student Izzy Dieker. She was suspended from her bus for two days in January but the ACLU's legal director says the girl didn’t ride again for two weeks because she felt humiliated. The district superintendent didn't immediately comment.

ACLU seeks training in Kan. school district over 'lesbian' remark

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-02/while-kansas-keeps-hospital-data-under-lock-and-key-colorado-helps-employers-dig-into-cost-of-care">Kansas News Service</a>

Some employers in Colorado have figured out a simple fact that could save millions on medical bills.

Hospitals are the pricey place for outpatient care. Independent medical centers can prove far cheaper.

Over
 a two-year period, shifting even half of their employees’ needs for 10 
common procedures to those more affordable sites could save nearly <a href="https://www.civhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CBGH-TCPA-Case-Study-Final.pdf" target="_blank">$6 million</a>.

That’s $400 per colonoscopy, $900 per hernia repair, $3,500 per appendix laparoscopy.

Employers
 learned about the potential savings through Colorado’s database of 
insurance claims, a treasure trove that allows Coloradans to dig into 
health care prices in ways that Kansans can’t.

Kansas is one of about <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2020/dec/state-apcds-part-1-establish-make-functional?utm_source=alert&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform" target="_blank">20 states</a> that, for regulatory or research purposes, collect prices that the health care industry has long <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-price-transparency-rule-covering-hospitals-upheld-11592945973" target="_blank">guarded</a> as trade secrets.

But Kansas, unlike Colorado, doesn’t share those numbers.

Employers want to see them so they can do some comparison shopping. Researchers covet them to better understand <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3033.html" target="_blank">industry trends</a>. Kansas officials say their hands are tied by state regulations.

Without
 knowing prices, employers argue, they can’t fight back against the 
mushrooming cost of care. Nationally, medical prices have risen far 
faster than <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-have-healthcare-prices-grown-in-the-u-s-over-time/#item-the-average-price-of-knee-replacement-has-increased-faster-than-general-inflation" target="_blank">economic inflation</a>.

The
 ballooning costs don’t just cut into employer profits, they take away 
from potential pay raises and retirement benefits. It costs taxpayers 
money.

“It’s a dysfunctional marketplace,” said Bob Smith, president of the <a href="https://cbghealth.org/the-colorado-purchasing-alliance/" target="_blank">Colorado Purchasing Alliance</a> of employers who banded together to buy medical care at better rates. “We have to have pricing (information). It’s essential.”

Smith’s group includes private companies but also public employers, like Denver, the state of Colorado and school districts.

It also checks hospital pricing against quality measures and has found that some pricey hospitals appear to deliver worse care than competitors that charge less.

Elsewhere
 in his state, another alliance has made its own discoveries through 
that same centralized warehouse of medical information.

Peak 
Health Alliance is a nonprofit effort to negotiate better prices than 
insurance companies get from hospitals in several Colorado counties.

It
 started with Summit County, asking actuaries to crunch numbers from 
Colorado’s database. The local hospital, it turned out, typically got 
five times what Medicare pays for outpatient care, and more than eight 
times what Medicare pays for emergency care.

“And we said, ‘Holy Toledo,’” Peak CEO Claire Brockbank said. “850% of Medicare is crazy.”

“When we sat down at the table with the hospital, and the hospital said, ‘We're really not expensive,’” Brockbank
 said, “We were like, ‘You really are. Like, seriously — 850%? 
Seriously?’ … They weren’t entirely used to people having data.”

The new prices ended up saving an estimated $2 million on premiums last year for about 4,500 insured people in the county.

Despite objections from the health care lobby, <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2020/dec/state-apcds-part-1-establish-make-functional?utm_source=alert&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform" target="_blank">more and more states</a> have started collecting insurance claims into what are called “<a href="https://www.apcdcouncil.org/" target="_blank">all-payer claims databases</a>.”

They
 offer a tempting source of information for researchers studying 
everything from the price of filling your molar to picking up your 
cholesterol drug.

“It would be really nice to know what the prices
 are,” said Chris Garmon, an economist at the University of 
Missouri-Kansas City who previously worked on antitrust investigations 
at the Federal Trade Commission. “Not just overall, but for particular 
services.”

If Kansas allowed it, Garmon would happily tap into the
 state’s numbers to analyze not just hospital bills but physician fees, 
too.

The Kansas Insurance Department says it can only share aggregated figures, and that <a href="https://insurance.ks.gov/documents/department/regulations-adopted/article-1/40-1-45.pdf" target="_blank">state regulations</a> bar it from revealing specific prices.

“Compilations of data shall not contain patient-identifying information or trade secrets,” the regulations say.

<a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2019/09/aha-comments-cms-outpatient-pps-asc-proposed-rule-cy-2020-9-27-19.pdf" target="_blank">Hospitals have argued</a> that disclosing prices would give insurers the upper arm in negotiations, to the detriment of patients.

Kansas
 isn’t the only state with restrictions on releasing data, according to 
the Commonwealth Fund. But some states use their troves to drive 
websites where patients can research the prices for care in their area.

<a href="https://nhhealthcost.nh.gov/" target="_blank">New Hampshire</a>’s
 decision to publish imaging prices led to an estimated $44 million in 
savings for patients and insurers over a five-year period, <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2020-12/McCarthy_State_APCDs_Part2_v2.pdf" target="_blank">the Commonwealth Fund wrote</a>.

Researchers
 have yet to figure out if the same would prove true more broadly. New 
Hampshire has added price estimates for scores more medical services to 
its website.

Meanwhile, about a dozen states with claims databases will contribute information this year to a major RAND Corp. analysis of <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-29/kansas-knows-what-hospitals-get-paid-but-says-it-cant-tell-a-group-that-compares-prices-nationally" target="_blank">hospital prices</a>.

Unlike Kansas, Colorado doesn’t consider the prices that RAND wants trade secrets.

“Definitely not,” said Ana English, CEO of the <a href="https://www.civhc.org/" target="_blank">Center for Improving Value in Health Care</a>, or CIVHC.

The independent, nonprofit group runs the Colorado all-payer claims database. (In Kansas, the state insurance and health departments run it.)

Employers, insurers and hospitals, for example, can all request numbers or <a href="https://www.civhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CBGH-TCPA-Case-Study-Final.pdf" target="_blank">analyses</a>
 from CIVHC. One community hospital learned which services locals 
traveled elsewhere to get. It added those services and increased 
revenue.

At times, CIVHC faces pushback from insurers or health 
care providers that argue against revealing prices or other information 
that they consider to be trade secrets.

But the group does its 
homework. To avoid releasing data that could inadvertently lead to 
anti-competitive behavior, CIVHC says it follows Federal Trade 
Commission guidelines, regularly consults an antitrust lawyer, and on 
occasion consults the state attorney general.

“Part of our main 
mantra has to be to make this information available — appropriately,” 
English said. That means resisting the impulse to play it safe by 
aggregating everything.

But she knows first-hand that the topic 
makes people squirm. She’s seen it in meetings with public officials 
from other states. When anyone mentions releasing claims data, they 
literally wring their hands.

“I call it the hand-wringing syndrome,” she said. “They get really, really nervous.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625581813469.png" alt="David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-07-02/while-kansas-keeps-hospital-data-under-lock-and-key-colorado-helps-employers-dig-into-cost-of-care">Kansas News Service</a>Some employers in Colorado have figured out a simple fact that could save millions on medical bills.Hospitals are the pricey place for outpatient care. Independent medical centers can prove far cheaper.Over
 a two-year period, shifting even half of their employees’ needs for 10 
common procedures to those more affordable sites could save nearly <a href="https://www.civhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CBGH-TCPA-Case-Study-Final.pdf" target="_blank">$6 million</a>.That’s $400 per colonoscopy, $900 per hernia repair, $3,500 per appendix laparoscopy.Employers
 learned about the potential savings through Colorado’s database of 
insurance claims, a treasure trove that allows Coloradans to dig into 
health care prices in ways that Kansans can’t.Kansas is one of about <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2020/dec/state-apcds-part-1-establish-make-functional?utm_source=alert&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform" target="_blank">20 states</a> that, for regulatory or research purposes, collect prices that the health care industry has long <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-price-transparency-rule-covering-hospitals-upheld-11592945973" target="_blank">guarded</a> as trade secrets.But Kansas, unlike Colorado, doesn’t share those numbers.Employers want to see them so they can do some comparison shopping. Researchers covet them to better understand <a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR3033.html" target="_blank">industry trends</a>. Kansas officials say their hands are tied by state regulations.Without
 knowing prices, employers argue, they can’t fight back against the 
mushrooming cost of care. Nationally, medical prices have risen far 
faster than <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-have-healthcare-prices-grown-in-the-u-s-over-time/#item-the-average-price-of-knee-replacement-has-increased-faster-than-general-inflation" target="_blank">economic inflation</a>.The
 ballooning costs don’t just cut into employer profits, they take away 
from potential pay raises and retirement benefits. It costs taxpayers 
money.“It’s a dysfunctional marketplace,” said Bob Smith, president of the <a href="https://cbghealth.org/the-colorado-purchasing-alliance/" target="_blank">Colorado Purchasing Alliance</a> of employers who banded together to buy medical care at better rates. “We have to have pricing (information). It’s essential.”<h2>Wrestling with hospitals</h2>Smith’s group includes private companies but also public employers, like Denver, the state of Colorado and school districts.It also checks hospital pricing against quality measures and has found that some pricey hospitals appear to deliver worse care than competitors that charge less.Elsewhere
 in his state, another alliance has made its own discoveries through 
that same centralized warehouse of medical information.Peak 
Health Alliance is a nonprofit effort to negotiate better prices than 
insurance companies get from hospitals in several Colorado counties.It
 started with Summit County, asking actuaries to crunch numbers from 
Colorado’s database. The local hospital, it turned out, typically got 
five times what Medicare pays for outpatient care, and more than eight 
times what Medicare pays for emergency care.“And we said, ‘Holy Toledo,’” Peak CEO Claire Brockbank said. “850% of Medicare is crazy.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601308401778.png" alt="This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org." />
 <figcaption>This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org.</figcaption>
 </figure>So Peak pushed for lower prices.“When we sat down at the table with the hospital, and the hospital said, ‘We're really not expensive,’” Brockbank
 said, “We were like, ‘You really are. Like, seriously — 850%? 
Seriously?’ … They weren’t entirely used to people having data.”The new prices ended up saving an estimated $2 million on premiums last year for about 4,500 insured people in the county.<h2>Comparison shopping</h2>Despite objections from the health care lobby, <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2020/dec/state-apcds-part-1-establish-make-functional?utm_source=alert&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=Delivery%20System%20Reform" target="_blank">more and more states</a> have started collecting insurance claims into what are called “<a href="https://www.apcdcouncil.org/" target="_blank">all-payer claims databases</a>.”They
 offer a tempting source of information for researchers studying 
everything from the price of filling your molar to picking up your 
cholesterol drug.“It would be really nice to know what the prices
 are,” said Chris Garmon, an economist at the University of 
Missouri-Kansas City who previously worked on antitrust investigations 
at the Federal Trade Commission. “Not just overall, but for particular 
services.”If Kansas allowed it, Garmon would happily tap into the
 state’s numbers to analyze not just hospital bills but physician fees, 
too.The Kansas Insurance Department says it can only share aggregated figures, and that <a href="https://insurance.ks.gov/documents/department/regulations-adopted/article-1/40-1-45.pdf" target="_blank">state regulations</a> bar it from revealing specific prices.“Compilations of data shall not contain patient-identifying information or trade secrets,” the regulations say.<a href="https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2019/09/aha-comments-cms-outpatient-pps-asc-proposed-rule-cy-2020-9-27-19.pdf" target="_blank">Hospitals have argued</a> that disclosing prices would give insurers the upper arm in negotiations, to the detriment of patients.Kansas
 isn’t the only state with restrictions on releasing data, according to 
the Commonwealth Fund. But some states use their troves to drive 
websites where patients can research the prices for care in their area.<a href="https://nhhealthcost.nh.gov/" target="_blank">New Hampshire</a>’s
 decision to publish imaging prices led to an estimated $44 million in 
savings for patients and insurers over a five-year period, <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2020-12/McCarthy_State_APCDs_Part2_v2.pdf" target="_blank">the Commonwealth Fund wrote</a>.Researchers
 have yet to figure out if the same would prove true more broadly. New 
Hampshire has added price estimates for scores more medical services to 
its website.<h2>Independently operated</h2>Meanwhile, about a dozen states with claims databases will contribute information this year to a major RAND Corp. analysis of <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-29/kansas-knows-what-hospitals-get-paid-but-says-it-cant-tell-a-group-that-compares-prices-nationally" target="_blank">hospital prices</a>.That includes Colorado.Unlike Kansas, Colorado doesn’t consider the prices that RAND wants trade secrets.“Definitely not,” said Ana English, CEO of the <a href="https://www.civhc.org/" target="_blank">Center for Improving Value in Health Care</a>, or CIVHC.The independent, nonprofit group runs the Colorado all-payer claims database. (In Kansas, the state insurance and health departments run it.)Employers, insurers and hospitals, for example, can all request numbers or <a href="https://www.civhc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/CBGH-TCPA-Case-Study-Final.pdf" target="_blank">analyses</a>
 from CIVHC. One community hospital learned which services locals 
traveled elsewhere to get. It added those services and increased 
revenue.At times, CIVHC faces pushback from insurers or health 
care providers that argue against revealing prices or other information 
that they consider to be trade secrets.But the group does its 
homework. To avoid releasing data that could inadvertently lead to 
anti-competitive behavior, CIVHC says it follows Federal Trade 
Commission guidelines, regularly consults an antitrust lawyer, and on 
occasion consults the state attorney general.“Part of our main 
mantra has to be to make this information available — appropriately,” 
English said. That means resisting the impulse to play it safe by 
aggregating everything.But she knows first-hand that the topic 
makes people squirm. She’s seen it in meetings with public officials 
from other states. When anyone mentions releasing claims data, they 
literally wring their hands.“I call it the hand-wringing syndrome,” she said. “They get really, really nervous.”Celia
 Llopis-Jepsen reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. 
You can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kan. keeps hospital data secret; Colo. helps employers dig into cost

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Friends have <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/wsph3-support-for-the-russell-family">established a fundraiser </a>to assist the family of a pregnant Kansas woman who died after a 4-vehicle crash in Wichita that involved a driver fleeing police.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On GoFundme friends wrote: Tuesday July 7, we lost an amazing individual. Samantha Russell tragically passed away in a senseless traffic incident. She leaves behind her husband and her brand new baby boy, Mac. Samantha was an amazing individual who left an impact on everyone she met.

Just before 5 pm on Tuesday, police were dispatched to a disturbance with a gun at a hotel in the 7500 block of West Taft in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.&nbsp;

At the scene, a 35-year-old male victim reported that a man had robbed him at gunpoint. The victim was able to run away and reported seeing the suspect leaving the hotel with another male suspect.

The robbery suspect was identified as 34-year-old Jamie Chavez of Wichita, who was wanted in connection to a previous robbery. He was located near Maple and Ridge and taken into custody. The other suspect identified as<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=161387">&nbsp;Javan Jermaine Ervin, 37,</a>&nbsp;Wichita,&nbsp;&nbsp;began to flee in a 2002 Dodge Ram northbound on Ridge Road. Officers began pursuing him, but the pursuit was terminated due to the high speed and traffic conditions.

The pickup continued at a high rate of speed, failed to stop at the red traffic light at Central Avenue and collided with a westbound 2000 Chevy Silverado driven by Jordan Samuel Peltzer, 40, Henderson, Nevada.

The impact caused the driver side rear wheels and tires to detach from the vehicle which collided with a 2016 Jeep Compass driven by Connie L. Holt, 73, Wichita, that was stopped on the inside left turn lane from South bound Ridge Road to East bound Central Avenue.

The Dodge Ram then collided with 2019 Mazda CX3 driven by 22-year-old Samantha Lee Russell of Wichita which was stopped behind the Jeep. The Dodge Ram then rolled onto its top and came to a rest in the North bound lanes of Ridge Road.

EMS transported Russell to Wesley Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.&nbsp;She was 33 weeks pregnant. Doctors delivered the baby who was hospitalized in critical condition, according to Macy.

Ervin, Peltzer and Holt were not injured. Ervin attempted to run from the crash but police quickly took him into custody.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Police also booked Jamie Chavez into the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery (one from a previous case) and felon in possession of a firearm. Chavez is on parole through the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625764005417.png" alt="Samantha Russell and her husband Brandon -photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Samantha Russell and her husband Brandon -photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Friends have <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/wsph3-support-for-the-russell-family">established a fundraiser </a>to assist the family of a pregnant Kansas woman who died after a 4-vehicle crash in Wichita that involved a driver fleeing police.&nbsp;&nbsp;On GoFundme friends wrote: Tuesday July 7, we lost an amazing individual. Samantha Russell tragically passed away in a senseless traffic incident. She leaves behind her husband and her brand new baby boy, Mac. Samantha was an amazing individual who left an impact on everyone she met.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625655160724.png" alt="First responders at the scene of the fatal 4-vehicle crash photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders at the scene of the fatal 4-vehicle crash photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 5 pm on Tuesday, police were dispatched to a disturbance with a gun at a hotel in the 7500 block of West Taft in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.&nbsp;At the scene, a 35-year-old male victim reported that a man had robbed him at gunpoint. The victim was able to run away and reported seeing the suspect leaving the hotel with another male suspect.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625688980232.png" alt="At the time of his arrest Tuesday, Jamie Chavez was on parole for a child sex crime, according to the Kansas Dpt. of Corrections.-&nbsp; photo Sedgwick Co. Jail" />
 <figcaption>At the time of his arrest Tuesday, Jamie Chavez was on parole for a child sex crime, according to the Kansas Dpt. of Corrections.-&nbsp; photo Sedgwick Co. Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>The robbery suspect was identified as 34-year-old Jamie Chavez of Wichita, who was wanted in connection to a previous robbery. He was located near Maple and Ridge and taken into custody. The other suspect identified as<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=161387">&nbsp;Javan Jermaine Ervin, 37,</a>&nbsp;Wichita,&nbsp;&nbsp;began to flee in a 2002 Dodge Ram northbound on Ridge Road. Officers began pursuing him, but the pursuit was terminated due to the high speed and traffic conditions.The pickup continued at a high rate of speed, failed to stop at the red traffic light at Central Avenue and collided with a westbound 2000 Chevy Silverado driven by Jordan Samuel Peltzer, 40, Henderson, Nevada.The impact caused the driver side rear wheels and tires to detach from the vehicle which collided with a 2016 Jeep Compass driven by Connie L. Holt, 73, Wichita, that was stopped on the inside left turn lane from South bound Ridge Road to East bound Central Avenue.The Dodge Ram then collided with 2019 Mazda CX3 driven by 22-year-old Samantha Lee Russell of Wichita which was stopped behind the Jeep. The Dodge Ram then rolled onto its top and came to a rest in the North bound lanes of Ridge Road.EMS transported Russell to Wesley Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.&nbsp;She was 33 weeks pregnant. Doctors delivered the baby who was hospitalized in critical condition, according to Macy.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625654789637.png" alt="Javan Jermaine Ervin made his first court appearance Friday. He is charged in the death of&nbsp; 22-year-old Samantha Russell, according to the Sedgwick Co. District Attorney's offfice." />
 <figcaption>Javan Jermaine Ervin made his first court appearance Friday. He is charged in the death of&nbsp; 22-year-old Samantha Russell, according to the Sedgwick Co. District Attorney's offfice.</figcaption>
 </figure>Ervin, Peltzer and Holt were not injured. Ervin attempted to run from the crash but police quickly took him into custody.&nbsp;&nbsp;Police also booked Jamie Chavez into the Sedgwick County Adult Detention Facility on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery (one from a previous case) and felon in possession of a firearm. Chavez is on parole through the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Friends help man, newborn after Kan. woman killed in crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — “A disservice to the country.” “Inaccurate disinformation.” “Literally killing people.”

For months, the Biden White House refrained from criticizing Republican officials who played down the importance of coronavirus vaccinations or sought to make political hay of the federal government’s all-out effort to drive shots into arms. Not any longer.

With the COVID-19 vaccination rate plateauing across the country, the White House is returning fire at those they see as spreading harmful misinformation or fear about the shots.

When South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tried this week to block door-to-door efforts to drive up the vaccination rate in his state, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not mince words in her reaction.

“The failure to provide accurate public health information, including the efficacy of vaccines and the accessibility of them to people across the country, including South Carolina, is literally killing people, so maybe they should consider that,” she said Friday.

While 67% of American adults have gotten at least one dose, officials are increasingly worried about vast geographic disparity in vaccination rates, and the emergence of what some experts warn could be two dramatically different realities for the country in the coming months: High vaccine uptake and lower caseloads in more Democratic-leaning parts of the country, and fresh hot spots and the development of dangerous variants in more GOP-leaning areas.

In the early months of the administration, the White House largely declined to criticize state and local officials’ handling of their vaccination programs, eager to maintain their buy-in and to prevent the politicization of the lifesaving campaign.

The recent change in tone comes after some GOP officials criticized President Joe Biden for calling for a door-to-door campaign to spread information about the safety and efficacy of vaccines in hopes it would encourage more people to get vaccinated.

“Now we need to go to community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and oftentimes, door-to-door — literally knocking on doors — to get help to the remaining people” who need to be vaccinated, Biden said Tuesday.

The grassroots component of the vaccination campaign has been in operation since April, when supplies of shots began outpacing demand. It was outlined and funded by Congress in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill passed in March and overwhelmingly is carried out by local officials and private sector workers and volunteers.

But some in the GOP saw a political opening, catering to the party’s small-government roots and libertarian wing.

“The Biden Administration wants to knock on your door to see if you’re vaccinated,” tweeted Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. “What’s next? Knocking on your door to see if you own a gun?”

McMaster asked his state’s health department to bar state and local health groups from “the use of the Biden Administration’s ‘targeted’ ‘door to door’ tactics.”

“A South Carolinian’s decision to get vaccinated is a personal one for them to make and not the government’s,” McMaster wrote in a letter to the department. “Enticing, coercing, intimidating, mandating, or pressuring anyone to take the vaccine is a bad policy which will deteriorate the public’s trust and confidence in the State’s vaccination efforts.”

In Missouri, meanwhile, GOP Gov. Mike Parson tweeted: “I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!”

Earlier in the week, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich sent a letter to Biden condemning the new strategy.

For the usually reserved Biden White House, which has long harbored private frustrations about some states’ laggard vaccination programs but refused to condemn them publicly for fear of playing up political divides in public health, it was a bridge too far.

“For those individuals, organizations that are feeding misinformation and trying to mischaracterize this type of trusted-messenger work, I believe you are doing a disservice to the country and to the doctors, the faith leaders, community leaders and others who are working to get people vaccinated, save lives and help end this pandemic,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Thursday.

Months ago, the Biden White House refrained from responding when officials criticized its vaccine allocation strategy of sending more doses directly to pharmacies instead of through state health departments after the former strategy proved more effective. It largely kept quiet as it watched officials sow fears of vaccine “passports” and assiduously avoided engaging publicly with fringe lawmakers who promoted vaccine skepticism.

The new public expression of frustration comes amid lingering disbelief that tens of millions of Americans continue to refuse to get vaccinated, needlessly extending the pandemic and costing lives, as government health officials emphasize that nearly all serious cases and deaths are now preventable.

White House officials are quick to point out that their criticism is not related to the officials’ political affiliation but to their rhetoric. They credit effective communication and leadership on the vaccines by GOP officials including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. But they continue to be concerned that some GOP officials are seeking to boost their own fortunes by feeding into doubts about the vaccination.

Psaki on Thursday rebutted some allegations about the door-knocking program, noting that in most cases: “They are not members of the government. They are not federal government employees. They are volunteers. They are clergy. They are trusted voices in communities who are playing this role and door knocking.”

Acknowledging the rhetoric has been “a bit frustrating to us,” she also noted that there are indications the door-knocking has helped promote shots in areas lagging behind the rest of the country. “Alabama: The adult vaccination rate increased by 3.9%; 149,000 additional adults got their first dose in June,” she said, adding that Florida saw an increase of 4.4% and Georgia of 3.5%.

“This is important work that’s leading to more vaccinations,” said Zients, “and it’s done by people who care about the health of their family, friends and neighbors.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625745471990.png" alt="In Missouri, GOP Gov. Mike Parson tweeted: “I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!”" />
 <figcaption>In Missouri, GOP Gov. Mike Parson tweeted: “I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!”</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — “A disservice to the country.” “Inaccurate disinformation.” “Literally killing people.”For months, the Biden White House refrained from criticizing Republican officials who played down the importance of coronavirus vaccinations or sought to make political hay of the federal government’s all-out effort to drive shots into arms. Not any longer.With the COVID-19 vaccination rate plateauing across the country, the White House is returning fire at those they see as spreading harmful misinformation or fear about the shots.When South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster tried this week to block door-to-door efforts to drive up the vaccination rate in his state, White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not mince words in her reaction.“The failure to provide accurate public health information, including the efficacy of vaccines and the accessibility of them to people across the country, including South Carolina, is literally killing people, so maybe they should consider that,” she said Friday.While 67% of American adults have gotten at least one dose, officials are increasingly worried about vast geographic disparity in vaccination rates, and the emergence of what some experts warn could be two dramatically different realities for the country in the coming months: High vaccine uptake and lower caseloads in more Democratic-leaning parts of the country, and fresh hot spots and the development of dangerous variants in more GOP-leaning areas.In the early months of the administration, the White House largely declined to criticize state and local officials’ handling of their vaccination programs, eager to maintain their buy-in and to prevent the politicization of the lifesaving campaign.The recent change in tone comes after some GOP officials criticized President Joe Biden for calling for a door-to-door campaign to spread information about the safety and efficacy of vaccines in hopes it would encourage more people to get vaccinated.“Now we need to go to community-by-community, neighborhood-by-neighborhood, and oftentimes, door-to-door — literally knocking on doors — to get help to the remaining people” who need to be vaccinated, Biden said Tuesday.The grassroots component of the vaccination campaign has been in operation since April, when supplies of shots began outpacing demand. It was outlined and funded by Congress in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill passed in March and overwhelmingly is carried out by local officials and private sector workers and volunteers.But some in the GOP saw a political opening, catering to the party’s small-government roots and libertarian wing.“The Biden Administration wants to knock on your door to see if you’re vaccinated,” tweeted Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. “What’s next? Knocking on your door to see if you own a gun?”McMaster asked his state’s health department to bar state and local health groups from “the use of the Biden Administration’s ‘targeted’ ‘door to door’ tactics.”“A South Carolinian’s decision to get vaccinated is a personal one for them to make and not the government’s,” McMaster wrote in a letter to the department. “Enticing, coercing, intimidating, mandating, or pressuring anyone to take the vaccine is a bad policy which will deteriorate the public’s trust and confidence in the State’s vaccination efforts.”In Missouri, meanwhile, GOP Gov. Mike Parson tweeted: “I have directed our health department to let the federal government know that sending government employees or agents door-to-door to compel vaccination would NOT be an effective OR a welcome strategy in Missouri!”Earlier in the week, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich sent a letter to Biden condemning the new strategy.For the usually reserved Biden White House, which has long harbored private frustrations about some states’ laggard vaccination programs but refused to condemn them publicly for fear of playing up political divides in public health, it was a bridge too far.“For those individuals, organizations that are feeding misinformation and trying to mischaracterize this type of trusted-messenger work, I believe you are doing a disservice to the country and to the doctors, the faith leaders, community leaders and others who are working to get people vaccinated, save lives and help end this pandemic,” White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients said Thursday.Months ago, the Biden White House refrained from responding when officials criticized its vaccine allocation strategy of sending more doses directly to pharmacies instead of through state health departments after the former strategy proved more effective. It largely kept quiet as it watched officials sow fears of vaccine “passports” and assiduously avoided engaging publicly with fringe lawmakers who promoted vaccine skepticism.The new public expression of frustration comes amid lingering disbelief that tens of millions of Americans continue to refuse to get vaccinated, needlessly extending the pandemic and costing lives, as government health officials emphasize that nearly all serious cases and deaths are now preventable.White House officials are quick to point out that their criticism is not related to the officials’ political affiliation but to their rhetoric. They credit effective communication and leadership on the vaccines by GOP officials including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. But they continue to be concerned that some GOP officials are seeking to boost their own fortunes by feeding into doubts about the vaccination.Psaki on Thursday rebutted some allegations about the door-knocking program, noting that in most cases: “They are not members of the government. They are not federal government employees. They are volunteers. They are clergy. They are trusted voices in communities who are playing this role and door knocking.”Acknowledging the rhetoric has been “a bit frustrating to us,” she also noted that there are indications the door-knocking has helped promote shots in areas lagging behind the rest of the country. “Alabama: The adult vaccination rate increased by 3.9%; 149,000 additional adults got their first dose in June,” she said, adding that Florida saw an increase of 4.4% and Georgia of 3.5%.“This is important work that’s leading to more vaccinations,” said Zients, “and it’s done by people who care about the health of their family, friends and neighbors.”

White House calling out critics of door-to-door vaccine push

PAWNEE COUNTY —After ten days, law enforcement authorities continue to search for 42-year-old John Freeman Colt.&nbsp; In an email Thursday, Pawnee County Sheriff Scott King wrote, "We are are still working with other law enforcement agencies on this case."

Just after 7a.m. June 30, he walked out of the Sexual Predator Treatment Program at the Larned State Hospital, according to the Pawnee County Sheriff.&nbsp;

He was last seen at 11:10a.m. Wednesday walking north bound from Kwik Shop on Broadway.

Barton County Sheriff Bellendir explained how Colt made it&nbsp;that far.&nbsp; “He caught a ride into town and gave a story he had a broken-down vehicle,” Bellendir said. “He was dressed in dress clothes. He didn’t look like what you’d expect an inmate to be. He looked more like a social worker, and that’s probably how he managed to escape, which the state investigators for DOC (the Department of Corrections) are over there trying to figure all of that out&nbsp;right now.”&nbsp;

Bellendir said&nbsp;Colt had altered his appearance by cutting his hair and shaving off a beard.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Colt is described as a white male, medium skin tone, 5-foot-7 200 pounds, blue eyes, and&nbsp; short brown hair. 

 He also has a tattoo on his left arm of a heart with the letters BH. 

He was last seen wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants ( possibly dress pants ) and a dark face mask.  Subject possibly has an ID badge "C JONES", and may have a cell phone. He should be considered dangerous.

If seen, or you know his whereabouts, please call 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625150026523.png" alt="Colt photo Kansas Public Offender Registry" />
 <figcaption>Colt photo Kansas Public Offender Registry</figcaption>
 </figure>PAWNEE COUNTY —After ten days, law enforcement authorities continue to search for 42-year-old John Freeman Colt.&nbsp; In an email Thursday, Pawnee County Sheriff Scott King wrote, "We are are still working with other law enforcement agencies on this case."Just after 7a.m. June 30, he walked out of the Sexual Predator Treatment Program at the Larned State Hospital, according to the Pawnee County Sheriff.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1625086515798.png" alt="Colt has previous convictions for aggravated sexual battery, theft, forgery, aggravated burglary, interference with parental custody and criminal damage, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections photos Pawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Colt has previous convictions for aggravated sexual battery, theft, forgery, aggravated burglary, interference with parental custody and criminal damage, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections photos Pawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>He was last seen at 11:10a.m. Wednesday walking north bound from Kwik Shop on Broadway.Barton County Sheriff Bellendir explained how Colt made it&nbsp;that far.&nbsp; “He caught a ride into town and gave a story he had a broken-down vehicle,” Bellendir said. “He was dressed in dress clothes. He didn’t look like what you’d expect an inmate to be. He looked more like a social worker, and that’s probably how he managed to escape, which the state investigators for DOC (the Department of Corrections) are over there trying to figure all of that out&nbsp;right now.”&nbsp;Bellendir said&nbsp;Colt had altered his appearance by cutting his hair and shaving off a beard.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Colt is described as a white male, medium skin tone, 5-foot-7 200 pounds, blue eyes, and&nbsp; short brown hair. He also has a tattoo on his left arm of a heart with the letters BH. He was last seen wearing a gray long sleeve shirt, black pants ( possibly dress pants ) and a dark face mask. Subject possibly has an ID badge "C JONES", and may have a cell phone. He should be considered dangerous.If seen, or you know his whereabouts, please call 911.

Felon from Kan. sexual predator program missing for for ten days

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call that he must “take action” against cybercriminals acting in his country and that the U.S. reserves the right to “defend its people and its critical infrastructure” from future attacks. the White House said.

The warning to Putin on Friday was largely a repetition of the tough rhetoric Biden had used during their meeting in Geneva last month, when he warned that there would be consequences for continuing cyberattacks emanating from Russia. Since then, a new ransomware attack linked to the Russia-based REvil hacking group has caused widespread disruption, placing Biden under growing pressure to this time marry the warning with actions — though none were immediately announced.

“I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his soil even though it’s not sponsored by the state, we expect them to act if we give them enough information to act on who that is,” Biden said, speaking to reporters at an event on economic competitiveness. Asked whether there will be consequences, he said, “Yes.”

The call with Putin underscored the extent to which the ransomware threat from criminal hacker gangs has mushroomed into an urgent national security challenge for the White House, and it suggested a possible concession by the administration that earlier warnings to the Russian leader had failed to curb a criminal activity that has taken aim at businesses across the globe.

A White House statement announcing the hourlong call also highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. The dual prongs of the agenda show how even as Biden pledges to get tough on Russia over hacking, there’s an inherent desire to avoid aggravating tensions as the administration looks for Russia to cooperate, or at least not interfere, with U.S. actions in other areas, including Syria, the Afghanistan withdrawal and climate change.

In his call with Putin, besides reiterating the need for Russia to take action and that the U.S. stands ready to act in response, Biden also “emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware,” the White House said.

Biden told reporters that the U.S. and Russia have “set up a means of communication now on a regular basis to be able to communicate with one another when each of us thinks something is happening in another country that affects the home country. And so it went well. I’m optimistic.”

In its own summary of the call, the Kremlin said “Putin noted that despite the Russian side’s readiness to jointly stop criminal activities in the information sphere, U.S. agencies haven’t made any requests during the past month.”

The Kremlin said the two leaders emphasized the need for cooperation on cybersecurity, which it said “must be permanent, professional and non-politicized and should be conducted via special communication channels ... and with respect to international law.”

The Kremlin statement also noted that Biden and Putin touched on the situation in Syria “with a special emphasis on humanitarian aspects“ and “gave a positive assessment of coordination of Russian and U.S. efforts on the issue, including in the U.N. Security Council.”

The White House declined to discuss the tone of Biden’s call, though press secretary Jen Psaki said it did focus significantly on the latest breach, which cybersecurity researchers have said infected victims in at least 17 countries, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers.

Though Biden had previously said the attack had caused “minimal damage,” and it did not appear to target vital infrastructure, the sheer global scale and the fact that it occurred so soon after the Geneva meeting put immediate pressure on the administration to have some sort of response.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623845475995.png" alt="Russian President Putin and President Biden before their meeting last month" />
 <figcaption>Russian President Putin and President Biden before their meeting last month</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call that he must “take action” against cybercriminals acting in his country and that the U.S. reserves the right to “defend its people and its critical infrastructure” from future attacks. the White House said.The warning to Putin on Friday was largely a repetition of the tough rhetoric Biden had used during their meeting in Geneva last month, when he warned that there would be consequences for continuing cyberattacks emanating from Russia. Since then, a new ransomware attack linked to the Russia-based REvil hacking group has caused widespread disruption, placing Biden under growing pressure to this time marry the warning with actions — though none were immediately announced.“I made it very clear to him that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from his soil even though it’s not sponsored by the state, we expect them to act if we give them enough information to act on who that is,” Biden said, speaking to reporters at an event on economic competitiveness. Asked whether there will be consequences, he said, “Yes.”The call with Putin underscored the extent to which the ransomware threat from criminal hacker gangs has mushroomed into an urgent national security challenge for the White House, and it suggested a possible concession by the administration that earlier warnings to the Russian leader had failed to curb a criminal activity that has taken aim at businesses across the globe.A White House statement announcing the hourlong call also highlighted a U.S.-Russian agreement that will allow humanitarian aid to flow into Syria. The dual prongs of the agenda show how even as Biden pledges to get tough on Russia over hacking, there’s an inherent desire to avoid aggravating tensions as the administration looks for Russia to cooperate, or at least not interfere, with U.S. actions in other areas, including Syria, the Afghanistan withdrawal and climate change.In his call with Putin, besides reiterating the need for Russia to take action and that the U.S. stands ready to act in response, Biden also “emphasized that he is committed to continued engagement on the broader threat posed by ransomware,” the White House said.Biden told reporters that the U.S. and Russia have “set up a means of communication now on a regular basis to be able to communicate with one another when each of us thinks something is happening in another country that affects the home country. And so it went well. I’m optimistic.”In its own summary of the call, the Kremlin said “Putin noted that despite the Russian side’s readiness to jointly stop criminal activities in the information sphere, U.S. agencies haven’t made any requests during the past month.”The Kremlin said the two leaders emphasized the need for cooperation on cybersecurity, which it said “must be permanent, professional and non-politicized and should be conducted via special communication channels ... and with respect to international law.”The Kremlin statement also noted that Biden and Putin touched on the situation in Syria “with a special emphasis on humanitarian aspects“ and “gave a positive assessment of coordination of Russian and U.S. efforts on the issue, including in the U.N. Security Council.”The White House declined to discuss the tone of Biden’s call, though press secretary Jen Psaki said it did focus significantly on the latest breach, which cybersecurity researchers have said infected victims in at least 17 countries, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers.Though Biden had previously said the attack had caused “minimal damage,” and it did not appear to target vital infrastructure, the sheer global scale and the fact that it occurred so soon after the Geneva meeting put immediate pressure on the administration to have some sort of response.Officials did not immediately announce any specific actions they were taking or would consider taking. There are few easy options to resolve the threat without risking a conflict that could spiral out of control beyond the cybersecurity realm.The Biden administration took office on the heels of a massive cyberespionage campaign known as SolarWinds that U.S. officials have linked to Russian intelligence operatives. But ransomware attacks, perpetrated generally by criminal hacker gangs rather than state-sponsored hackers, appear to have eclipsed old-fashioned spying as a potent threat.A May attack on a pipeline that supplies roughly half the fuel consumed on the East Coast caused the company to temporarily halt operations. Colonial Pipeline paid roughly $4.4 million in ransom, although U.S. authorities were able to claw back a large portion of that sum in a law enforcement operation last month.Hackers also recently extorted an $11 million ransom payment from JBS SA, the world’s largest meat processor.