About this Collection
Healthy Kansans contains interviews of individuals who were involved with development and implementation of state health policy from the 1970s through the early decades of the 2000s. Kansas saw a decline in its State Health Performance Indicators during the last 30 years. These interviews will help policymakers understand the evolution of organizations and institutions related to the health of Kansans and determine how effective those organizations and institution have been in promoting a Healthy Kansas. The interviews elicit insights about the policy making process, the assignment of priorities, and the give-and-take involved in reaching final policy decisions.
Two Excerpts from Interview of Jill Docking about Health Rankings and Mental Health, April 1, 2026
JILL DOCKING was interviewed as part of the NOTABLE KANSANS Collection. Because of her service on the Kansas Board of Regents and the Kansas Health Foundation Board of Directors, she was aware of Kansas' standing in the national Health Rankings and was able to help raise funds for the residency program for child psychiatrists in Wichita.
Short Excerpt from Interview with Bob Tomlinson, August 2024 about Medicaid Expansion
BOB TOMLINSON served in the legislature from 1993 to 2002 representing Roeland Park, . He was known as a moderate Republican. He also served as Assistant Commissioner in the Kansas Department of Insurance and various other state government positions. In his August 2024 interview, he talks about Medicaid Expansion and why it should pass. His full interview is in the Statehouse Conversations Collection. It is full of funny stories about other prominent politicians of the era.
Excerpt of Interview with Jim Denning, April 13, 2023, “How Medicaid Expansion Died in the Senate.”
Jim Denning served in the Kansas Senate as Majority Leader for four years during most of the time Medicaid Expansion was under discussion. Denning didn’t like the way the bills were constructed, so he developed a Republican alternative that he thought would be a model for the country. His interview details how he kept the Democratic alternative from passing, but his own bill became caught up in abortion politics and failed to pass. The full interview is in Statehouse Conversations.
Interview of Matthew (Matt) All, April 21, 2026
Interviewed by Robert St. Peter
This is a very important interview in this series about Healthy Kansans because it embraces the discussion on health care financing. It is also interesting because of All's experiences in the political arena that led him to his current role as CEO of one of the state's largest health care insurers. He was involved with the proposed merger of Anthem and Blue Cross when he worked for Gov. Sebelius who turned down the merger. He said, "It became really clear to me at the beginning that this was an important office, and that Kansans sometimes in Show Morethe biggests moments of their lives need somebody to stand beside them. So, I was proud to do the work!" The largest part of the interview is a discussion on how health insurance works, how costs affect premiums, and what the options for the future hold. Despite the difficulties in finding ways to control costs, Mr. All is optimistic about the future. Show Less
Interview of Benjamin Anderson, May 7, 2026
Interviewed by Robert St. Peter
Benjamin Anderson is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System where he is responsible for the management, direction and coordination of all organization operations. He is a great story-teller and his personal story about his experiences getting into college and later gaining entry into the health care system shows his determination and creativity toward solving problems. He rescued failing Kansas rural hospitals in Ashland and Lakin by figuring out how to engage these communities and provide services that people needed. His story about organizing a basketball game to pay for mammograms for women Show Moreis inspiring and unusual. When asked if this was a role of a hospital administrator he replied, "It is the role of a leader." Anderson described his reaching out to Somalian immigrants who worked at Tyson's Food Processing plant. That outreach led to strategies to engage the community and deal with all sorts of community attitudes towards the immigrants. His philosophy was, "Pick one meaningful thing to measure that brings about meaningful change, lowers costs, and improves outcomes. Show them how you did it and they will run to you. Don't wait on the feds to solve your problems. You solve them."
After spending six and a half years in rural southwest Kansas, Anderson made a decision to leave and work for the Colorado Hospital Association for four years in order to get specialized services for one of his children. He was recruited to come to Hutchinson because the hospital needed to make some changes. Anderson is now meeting those challenges with creativity and energy.
Highlights -- short excerpts from the interview