Kansas Health Insurance

Health insurance companies operating in Kansas enjoy relatively relaxed regulatory laws compared to those found in other states, so anybody who wants to buy health coverage here would do well to first learn about those few regulatory protections they can expect.  Below is a list of the most significant regulations and conditions on health insurance sold in Kansas.

• All health insurance policies sold in Kansas are required to include a clause that guarantees the ability of the insured to renew coverage without restriction, assuming that they abide by all other provisions of the contract.  This means that your insurer cannot terminate your policy without your specific consent.
• Insurers in Kansas are allowed to make certain health issues exempt from coverage for up to two years after a health plan is initiated.  These “pre-existing conditions” can include any malady or injury for which the insured person was diagnosed or treated at any point in the past.  If you choose to switch to another policy during or after this exclusion period, it may be re-applied by your new insurer.  In some cases, your policy may declare certain pre-existing conditions to be permanently exempt from coverage.
• Any child that is born to (or adopted by) any person whose insurance already covers dependents is automatically guaranteed at least 31 days of health coverage under Kansas state law.
• While your health policy may not be terminated on the grounds of health problems, any application for new coverage can be denied by any insurer in Kansas, at their discretion.  Considerations like current health, age, and other risk factors may also be taken into account in determining the size of any premiums you must pay.
• As is the case in many other states, any small business in Kansas (that is, a business with between 2 and 50 employees) is automatically eligible to purchase any group health policy comparable to what is already being offered to other small businesses in the state.  This policy may come with certain conditions, however, such as a requirement that the employer pay a certain fraction of employees’ premiums or that at least a certain percentage of the company’s staff buy into this health plan.  If these conditions are not met, the entire company’s coverage may be cancelled.
• As with individual insurance, the price of a small business’s group health plan can vary dramatically based on the health, age, location, and other characteristics of its participants.  No matter what, however, the company’s coverage cannot be cancelled due to concerns about the health of the insured.
• If you are self-employed and have no other employees you are unfortunately not eligible to purchase small-business group health insurance in Kansas.  On the other hand, you may be eligible for a tax deduction for a most of the premiums you pay for individual health coverage.

Due to the loose nature of state-level regulations in Kansas, health insurance companies are allowed a great deal of latitude in how they deal with customers here.  This means that you can derive great benefit from keeping yourself well-informed and comparing offers from as many competing insurers as possible.  As long as you make sure to carefully examine your options before making a choice, you are quite likely to find the coverage you are looking for at a reasonable price.

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