Kansas Health Insurance Consumer Guide

You must meet certain criteria to qualify for health coverage through the Marketplace in Kansas. Generally, you’re eligible to apply if you:⁵

• Live in Kansas
• Are either a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawfully present in the U.S.
• Are not incarcerated
• Are not enrolled in Medicare

To buy an ACA-compliant individual or family health insurance in Kansas, sign up between November 1 and January 15 during open enrollment. 

Enroll by December 15 for your coverage to become effective on January 1. But if you enroll from December 16 to January 15, your coverage will start on February 1.⁶

Outside of open enrollment, you can get coverage through the Marketplace if you have a qualifying life event.⁷ Examples of qualifying life events include loss of health coverage, getting married, or permanent relocation.  

Under a new special enrollment period, eligible applicants can enroll in an ACA-compliant health plan through the marketplace at any time during the year if their household income doesn’t exceed 150% of the federal poverty level.⁸

People who lose Medicaid or CHIP between March 31, 2023 and July 31, 2024 may also be eligible for a temporary extended SEP.⁹  

Native Americans can enroll in an ACA exchange plan year-round.¹⁰

If you’re eligible for an ACA Marketplace plan, you can enroll three ways: 

• Online through HealthCare.gov
• By phone at (800) 318-2596
• In person through agents, navigators, certified application counselors, or an approved enhanced direct enrollment entity.¹¹

In Kansas, you can find affordable individual and family health insurance through HealthCare.gov – the ACA Marketplace. 

For the 2023 open enrollment period, about 92% of people using the Kansas exchange qualified for subsidies.¹² These subsidies, known as Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTC), help lower your premium. 

Kansans who bought coverage through the Marketplace saved around $559 per month on their premium expenses in the 2023 open enrollment – and on average, those who qualified for subsidies paid a monthly net premium of $97.¹²

In addition to APTC, if your household income falls below 250% of the federal poverty level, you may also be eligible for cost-sharing reductions (CSR).¹³ CSRs help reduce deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses. 

You may also find affordable coverage through Medicaid if you’re eligible. 

In Kansas, children may be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP even if their parents aren’t. For certain families, enrolling children in Medicaid or CHIP while parents get coverage through the Marketplace may be more affordable.  

Source: CMS.gov¹⁴

The Kansas exchange offers individual and family health plans from eight insurers. ¹⁵ This is the highest number ever for the state’s exchange. Below are the insurers offering plans for 2023:

• Ambetter from Sunflower Health Plan/Celtic (available in 91 counties)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City/Blue KC (available in 2 counties)
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc. (available in 103 counties)
• Cigna (available in 8 counties)
• Medica Insurance Company (available in 94 counties)
• Oscar Insurance Company (available in 2 counties)
• UnitedHealthcare (available in 21 counties)
• US Health and Life Insurance Company (available in 7 counties)

For 2024, these insurers have proposed the following average rate changes:  

Source: Kansas Rate Review Submissions¹⁶

The approved rate changes apply to full-price premiums. Since most people using the Kansas exchange receive premium tax credits, they don’t pay the full premium amount. ¹⁷ If you qualify for subsidies, your actual rate change will depend on your plan and the subsidy amounts. Factors such as your age can affect your premium too. 

If the cost of your current plan increases, you can explore other health plans in the exchange that may be more affordable and offer comparable benefits.

A new record was set for the Kansas Marketplace in 2023, with 124,473 people signing up during the open enrollment period.¹⁸ As with many states, Kansas experienced a pattern where many people signed up in 2016, fewer in the following years, then rebounding enrollment in 2021. This growth trend continued with record highs in 2022 and 2023. 

This increase in enrollment is thanks to the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Under the ARP, ACA’s premium subsidies are larger and more widely available. ARP has been extended through 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act.¹⁹

Source: 2014,²⁰ 2015, ²¹ 2016,²² 2017,²³ 2018,²⁴ 2019,²⁵ 2020,²⁶ 2021,²⁷ 2022,²⁸ 2023,²⁹ 2024³⁰

Healthcare.gov: This is the ACA Marketplace where you can enroll in a health insurance plan online. You may also get help by calling (800) 318-2596. 

Kansas Insurance Department: Call the Consumer Assistance Hotline at (800) 432-2484 in Kansas or (785) 296-7829 if out of state. 

Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK): SHICK offers help with questions about Medicare.  

Medicaid (KanCare): Though Kansas has not expanded Medicaid, certain people who meet the income limits may qualify.