Kansas Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Kansas?

It's getting a little better. The state moved one rung higher – from 23 to 22 – in the 2008 assessment of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• The state rated highly for having fewer mental (2.6) and physical (3.1) health days per month compared to the national average (3.4 mental health days and 3.6 physical health days).
• Kansas also received a high ranking for a lower-than-average incidence of major infectious diseases. The incidence of infectious disease has fallen by 67 percent since 1990.
• Smoking is also on the decline in Kansas, with the percentage of residents who smoke falling from 20 to 17.9 percent.

The bad news:

• The state scored poorly – 38th of 50 – for its high rate of occupational fatalities (7.3 deaths per 100,000 workers).
• Kansas' lowest rating was for the state's level of public health funding, with $39 dollars spent per person on public or population health.
• The percentage percent of uninsured Kansas residents has risen by nearly 40 percent since 1990 and rose from 11.3 percent to 12.5 percent in 2008.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Poor mental health days – 6th
• Poor physical health days – 9th
• Infectious disease – 11th
• Occupational fatalities – 38th
• Primary care physicians – 39th
• Public health funding – 46th

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Kansas.

Does Kansas have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

Kansas Health Insurance Association
Toll-free 1-800-362-9290 (M-F 8am-5pm)

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Mini-meds a guaranteed-issue option for those who are medically uninsurable

An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.

These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Kansas

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Kansas and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Kansas.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

USNews health insurance rankings for Kansas

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Kansas.

Official State Goverment Sites with Kansas Health Insurance Information

Kansas Department of Insurance -- Health Insurance Section -- includes a variety of resources for Kansans seeking health insurance coverage.

Kansas Medicare -- Wheatlands Administrative Services, a new subsidiary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, conducts Medicare business on behalf of the state.

Kansas Medicaid or Medical Assistance Program -- the site with information for low-income families and others who qaulify to find out about health insurance programs especially designed for them.

Kansas Health Wave -- Kansas' SCHIP -- helps qualifying low-income families get health insurance for their children ages 18 and under. Under Kansas' program, adults living in the same household may also qualify for coverage -- see the site for more details. In addition to English and Spanish, Kansas offers applications available in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanes, Korean, Russian and Vietnamese. Para Información in Español