in kansas, affordable health insurance plans are available for purchase through the state’s marketplace. And depending on your household income, you may qualify for health insurance through Medicaid.
We’ve researched all the health insurance plans in Kansas to help you find your best health insurance coverage. depending on the county you live in, ambetter balanced care 12 or bluecare epo silver plus is the cheapest silver plan available. however, the cost of a policy will vary significantly by region, and depending on your needs, you may want to purchase a plan in a different metal tier.
Reading: How much is health insurance in kansas
the cheapest health insurance by plan level
we break down kansas health insurance plans by plan level to identify which policies are best for each degree of coverage. Depending on the county you live in, the insurers and health plans listed below may not be offered in your area. however, these plans are a good starting point for comparing the costs and benefits you can expect from different levels of coverage.
Age also plays a big role in determining health insurance rates: As you get older, premiums get more expensive. As you can see below, a 40-year-old in Kansas would pay $116 per month more on average than a 21-year-old on a silver plan.
finding your best health insurance coverage in kansas
Available insurers vary by county, so the best affordable health insurance plan available to you in Kansas will depend on where you live and the level of coverage you choose.
Higher metal tier health plans, like gold policies, have monthly premiums that aren’t as cheap as silver policy premiums, but have significantly lower out-of-pocket costs like deductibles, copays, and coinsurance. So if you have expensive prescriptions or are worried about the high costs of an unexpected illness, a higher metal level plan is probably your best health insurance option.
On the other hand, if you’re young and healthy, or don’t have expected medical costs and want to keep your monthly rates low, a lower metal tier plan may be a good option.
gold plans: best for people expecting high medical costs
gold health insurance plans have the lowest costs if you need to use your insurance often, as gold plans may have lower deductibles and copays. however, the monthly premium you can expect to pay may be higher. therefore, these health plans are best if you have high expected medical costs, such as ongoing prescriptions, or are concerned about paying out of pocket for an unexpected condition.
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the cheapest gold plan in kansas is ambetter security care 20. compare all levels in kansas above.
silver plans: best for people with average medical costs or low income
A silver health plan may be better if you want a policy that has lower out-of-pocket costs than a bronze plan but a more affordable monthly premium than a gold plan. these plans are also eligible for cost-sharing subsidies, which lower your out-of-pocket costs if you are part of a low-income household.
the cheapest silver plan in kansas is the ambetter balanced care 12. compare all levels in kansas above.
bronze and catastrophic plans: the best for young people
Catastrophic and Bronze plans offer an affordable alternative to Silver and Gold plans because their monthly premiums are less expensive. however, catastrophic plans are only available to those who are under the age of 30 or qualify for an exemption.
Bronze plans are available to everyone, and these lower metal level policies have affordable monthly health insurance premiums, but come with much higher deductibles. therefore, if you need medical care during the year, you must pay more money out of pocket before the coverage kicks in.
If you can afford high cost-sharing in an emergency and expect low medical costs, a bronze plan may be your best low-cost option for health insurance coverage.
the cheapest bronze plan in kansas is the ambetter essential care 1. the cheapest catastrophic plan is the medica with your healthiest catastrophic. compare all levels in kansas above.
changes in health insurance rates in kansas
Health insurance rates are set annually by insurance providers and then approved by federal regulators for the following plan year.
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By 2022, catastrophic plans saw the biggest increase in costs, up 35% compared to 2021. Silver plans, on the other hand, are 1% cheaper by 2022.
short term medical insurance in kansas
Insurance providers offer short-term health insurance with limited restrictions in Kansas. These plans follow federal guidelines with maximum coverage periods of up to one year. however, you can only renew short-term health insurance coverage once and not for 36 months like in other states.
in kansas, short-term health plans do not necessarily cover essential health benefits and require a medical underwriting. For this reason, you should be careful when selecting short-term health insurance as your primary health care coverage.
the best cheap health insurance companies in kansas
there are five health insurance companies on the kansas state exchange, but only medica insurance co. is available in all counties.
When searching for the best health insurance for you, we recommend starting with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Inc. or ambetter/celtic insurance co., as they typically offer the cheapest silver health plan in counties where they are available.
cheapest health insurance plan by county
To help you start your search for the best health plan, we’ve identified the most affordable silver health insurance policies available on the state market by county. Below you can see which policy has the best rate for your county, as well as some sample monthly premiums for individuals and families.
average cost of health insurance by family size in kansas
Based on family size, health insurance rates change based on the number of people who need coverage and their ages. children under 15 are entitled to lower health insurance premiums, which remain stable. but once the child turns 15, the premium will increase each year as she gets older.
For example, the average cost of health insurance for a family of three is $1,387 in Kansas, assuming two parents in their 40s and one child. For each additional child, the average cost of a silver health plan increases by about $320, so a family of four (two 40-year-olds and two children) would cost an average of $1,707 per month to insure.
methodology
Health insurance rate and policy data used in this analysis comes from centers for medicare & medicaid services documents (cms). ValuePenguin used CMS Public Use Files (PUFS) to derive average state premiums across a variety of factors, including metal tier, county, and family size. Our analysis used plans and providers for which county-level data was included in the CMS match file; those excluded from this dataset may not appear.
