Use this guide, including the FAQs below, to help you find the right health plan in Kansas. Many people find an ACA Marketplace plan, also known as Obamacare or exchange, to be a cost-effective choice.
Kansas uses the federally-run Marketplace, which is HealthCare.gov. The HealthCare.gov platform allows Kansas residents to select from among a variety of health plans, and receive income-based financial assistance if eligible.
For 2024, as was the case in 2023, there are eight private insurers offering individual/family health plans through the Kansas exchange, although one insurer exited at the end of 2023 and another joined for 2024. 1 For 2025, one insurer is exiting the market in Kansas, but the other seven plan to continue to offer Marketplace coverage (details below).
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Learn about Kansas' Medicaid expansion, the state’s Medicaid enrollment and Medicaid eligibility.
Use our guide to learn about Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medigap coverage available in Kansas as well as the state’s Medicare supplement (Medigap) regulations.
Short-term health plans provide temporary health insurance for consumers who may find themselves without comprehensive coverage. Learn more about short-term plan availability in Kansas.
You must meet certain criteria to qualify for health coverage through the Marketplace in Kansas. Generally, you’re eligible to apply if you: 2
By those standards, most Kansas residents can use the Marketplace. But eligibility for financial assistance is also an important factor. To be eligible for income-based subsidies, you must:
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. 5
Outside of open enrollment, you can get coverage through the Marketplace if you have a qualifying life event that triggers a special enrollment period (SEP). 6 Examples of qualifying life events include loss of health coverage, getting married, or permanent relocation.
Subsidy-eligible applicants can enroll in a Marketplace health plan at any time during the year if their household income doesn’t exceed 150% of the federal poverty level. 7
People who lose Medicaid or CHIP between March 31, 2023 and November 30, 2024 may also be eligible for a temporary extended SEP. 8
If you’re eligible for an ACA Marketplace plan, there are a few ways to enroll, with or without free assistance:
In Kansas, you can find affordable individual and family health insurance through HealthCare.gov – the ACA Marketplace.
Of the roughly 165,000 people who had effectuated coverage through the Kansas Marketplace in early 2024, nearly 156,000 — 94% — were receiving premium subsidies (advance premium tax credits, or APTC) that averaged $561/month. After the subsidies were applied, the average Kansas Marketplace enrollee was paying about $103/month for their coverage. 10
(The numbers above are based on effectuated enrollment; the chart below has some different metrics, and uses data from all enrollments submitted during the open enrollment period for 2024 coverage.)
In addition to APTC, if your household income isn’t more than 250% of the federal poverty level, you may also be eligible for cost-sharing reductions (CSR), as long as you select a Silver-level plan in the Marketplace. 11 CSRs help reduce deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses.
You may also find affordable coverage through Medicaid (KanCare) if you’re eligible.
Kansas has not yet implemented the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid for low-income adults. However, 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 can be an affordable way to obtain family coverage.
For 2025, seven insurers will offer plans through the Kansas health insurance Marketplace. 13
This is down from eight in 2024, 14 as Ascension Personalized Care (US Health & Life) is exiting the market at the end of 2024. 15 People enrolled in an Ascension Personalized Care plan in 2024 will need to select a new plan for 2025, during the open enrollment period that begins in November 2024.
There were also eight participating insurers in 2023, but there were some changes for 2024: Aetna was new to the Marketplace in Kansas for 2024, and Cigna stopped offering coverage in the Kansas Marketplace at the end of 2023.
For 2025, the following average rate changes have been proposed by Kansas Marketplace insurers, 16 (Rates are under review by state regulators and will be finalized before open enrollment begins in November 2024.)
Source: Federal Rate Review Summary 16
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. 10 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.
For perspective, here’s a summary of how overall average premiums have changed over the years for the individual/family market in Kansas, before any subsidies were applied:
During the open enrollment period for 2024 coverage, a significant new record high enrollment was reached in Kansas, with 171,376 people signing up for private plans through the Kansas Marketplace. 27
The previous record high had come the year before, when 124,473 people signed up during the open enrollment period. 28
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, 2023, and 2024. (See chart below that shows year-by-year enrollment.)
The recent increase in enrollment is due in large part 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. 28
And the enrollment growth for 2024 is also partially due to the Medicaid disenrollments that resumed in 2023, after being paused for three years during the pandemic. CMS reported that by April 2024, more than 31,000 Kansas residents had transitioned from Medicaid to Marketplace coverage since the disenrollments began in the spring of 2023. 29
Source: 2014, 30 2015, 31 2016, 32 2017, 33 2018, 34 2019, 35 2020, 36 2021, 37 2022, 38 2023, 39 2024 40
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.
Medicaid (KanCare): Though Kansas has not expanded Medicaid, certain people who meet the income limits may qualify .
Louise Norris is an individual health insurance broker who has been writing about health insurance and health reform since 2006. She has written dozens of opinions and educational pieces about the Affordable Care Act for healthinsurance.org.
