Kansas Health Insurance (KS)

Kansas (KS)
Individual Health Insurance Regulations

Learn more about Kansas Individual Health Insurance

Kansas does not require individual health insurance policies to be issued on a guarantee issue basis. Insurance laws in Kansas provide for individual health insurance policies to be medically underwritten by health insurance carriers. This provision allows the health insurance carrier to decline the application for pre-existing medical conditions or past health history. During the application process, the insurance carrier may do any one of the following: 1) deny coverage based health history and status, 2) offer to provide health insurance with certain limitations on pre-existing health conditions and/or elimination riders or 3) approve the application for full coverage as submitted. There is a 24 month exclusionary period allowable for pre-existing conditions with a 12 month look-back clause. Credit for prior coverage is not required under Kansas state law and elimination riders are permitted.

Kansas (KS)
Small Group Health Insurance Regulations

In Kansas, a small group employer is defined as any company with 2-50 employees. Small group health insurance is guaranteed issue in the state of Kansas. Upon commencement of employment, the employer may impose a waiting period before you become eligible to join the employer sponsored health insurance plan. Once determined eligible to join the plan, issuance of health insurance coverage is guaranteed and may not be denied or altered in any way due to your health status. Insurance companies offering group health insurance in Kansas are permitted to utilize a 6 month look back and a 3 month exclusionary period for pre-existing conditions on all applicants who do not have prior creditable coverage. Under Kansas law, credit for prior coverage is required as long as there is no more than a 63 day break in coverage. Group health insurance rates are medically underwritten and may vary by plus or minus 25 percent of the indexed rate based on the health status of the group.

Kansas COBRA and Continuation Coverage

Kansas has a state mandated mini-COBRA program which applies to groups of less than 20 employees. Under the state regulated COBRA program an employee suffering a qualifying event may opt, at their sole expense, to continue their health insurance coverage through their employer-sponsored group health plan. Continuation coverage under state regulations provides for an additional 6 months of coverage, regardless of the reason why the group coverage was terminated. Once state COBRA benefits have been exhausted, the applicant has 31 days in which to apply for an individual conversion plan. For those that have exhausted their COBRA option, and meet federal HIPAA eligibility, the state risk pool provides another avenue for obtaining permanent guaranteed issue coverage.

(Kansas Continuation law requires employers with 2-19 employees to offer COBRA for 9 months. The burden of continuation is placed on the insurance company, not the employer. Unlike federal COBRA, his is available even if the group plan disperses.)

Additional Kansas Resources

• Kansas Health Insurance Association (KHIA)
  The Kansas Health Insurance Association (KHIA) was created to provide access to health insurance coverage to all residents of the state who are unable to obtain individual health insurance due to their health status.
• Kansas HealthWave
  HealthWave 21 was created for uninsured children, ages 0 -19, living in households with income levels at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.
• Kansas Health Policy Authority (KHPA)
  Provides assistance to seniors in the state of Kansas in understanding Medicare.
• Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas
  Offers free assistance to seniors where they can get answers to their Medicare questions and understand their health coverage options and benefits.

KS Medical Insurance Statistics

Total Population: 2,695,000
With Health Insurance: 2,405,000 / 89.2%
Without Health Insurance: 290,000 / 10.8%
*According to 2005 CPS Reports / U.S. Census Bureau

Note: The percentage of Kansas residents without health insurance has decreased by .3% since 2004.

State of Kansas Department of Insurance
Phone: 800-432-2484
The Department of Insurance regulates the insurance industry, reviews companies, educates consumers and issues and monitors the licenses of agents selling insurance products in the State of Kansas.

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