Kansas Health Insurance: Find Affordable Plans (2024)

KanCare is the Kansas state health insurance program. Also known as Medicaid, KanCare offers integrated care to hundreds of thousands of individuals across the state using managed care organizations to coordinate health care for all Medicaid recipients.

There are three KanCare plans available, and members can change their plan during open enrollment each year.

Yes, KanCare is the same as Medicaid. However, it’s a new and improved version of the state’s old Medicaid system, offering more comprehensive and managed care to its members. KanCare is a fee-for-service model with health plans available through Aetna Better Health of Kansas, Sunflower State Health Plan, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas.

As a member of KanCare, you may be responsible for coinsurance costs, but the state directly pays the provider for medical services.

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Kansas did not expand the Medicaid program to offer health insurance to more low-income individuals and families. However, the ACA introduced the healthcare marketplace where individuals can find affordable health insurance online. The state of Kansas uses the federally run health insurance marketplace Healthcare.gov.

The ACA still made health insurance more accessible to Kansas residents, especially those who don’t qualify for Medicaid, by offering cost-sharing subsidies that reduce their out-of-pocket costs and tax credits that reduce how much they pay on a monthly basis just to have Kansas health insurance.

In addition, there’s no longer any penalty for not having health insurance at the federal or state level. Kansas residents aren’t required to maintain health insurance to avoid a penalty when they pay taxes.

Medicare supplemental health insurance in Kansas is available for individuals over the age of 65 or those between the ages of 19 and 64 with disabilities or some health conditions. Medicare Supplement plans, also known as Medigap, help cover the costs associated with out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance associated with Medicare coverage.

You can purchase supplemental health insurance from private insurance companies at any time. However, your application will be denied based on pre-existing health conditions. During open enrollment, they can’t deny your application or charge you more for existing medical problems.

There are several Medigap plans available to choose from if you find that you need additional coverage. You can contact insurance companies directly to learn more about their offerings, but what’s most important is that your supplemental health plan uses the same letter as your Medicare plan.

There are many Kansas health insurance resources available where you can find more information about certain health plans and options. Some of these health insurance resources are:

• Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK): This is a free program that provides counseling from trained volunteers to help you learn more about Medicare and its coverage options.
• Kansas Department of Health: This is the state health department’s website, where you can learn about different types of health care coverage, including KanCare.

There are currently eight insurance providers that offer coverage through the Kansas health insurance marketplace. They include:

• Medica
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC)
• Oscar
• Cigna
• US Health & Life Insurance Company
• Ambetter from Sunflower Health Plan
• UnitedHealthcare

You can find each of these Kansas health insurance providers and their plans on the health insurance marketplace.

Remember, when shopping for the best health insurance in Kansas, you should consider your budget and health needs. Plan costs vary by health insurance provider, plan tier, plan type, and personal health information. For instance, health insurance costs are higher for individuals who use tobacco, and costs increase with age.

While you should research different providers, what’s most important is choosing the right plan for you. Consider how often you visit your doctor. If you rarely visit a doctor, you might be able to get the cheapest available plan, which will provide basic health care needs and essential health services under the ACA. However, these plans don’t offer comprehensive enough coverage for individuals who visit their doctors regularly or require long-term treatments.

You can use eHealth’s online marketplace to find, browse, compare, and enroll in health plans based on your budget and health needs.