Open enrollment for 2026 health insurance plans has begun, and this year brings changes that could affect Kansans who buy coverage through the federal Marketplace.
For coverage to begin Jan. 1, consumers have until Dec. 15 to make any updates to their Marketplace insurance. Open enrollment officially ends Jan. 15.
Rhonda Culp, Thrive Allen County’s Director of Care Coordination, said one of the most important things consumers should know this year is the status of enhanced premium tax credits — the additional subsidies that have helped keep monthly premiums affordable.
“Those tax credits are set to expire at the end of 2025,” Culp noted. “That could come with a price increase in plans. Some of the increases we’ve been seeing have ranged anywhere from 30% to almost 70%, depending on the insurance company and where people fall on the poverty level.”
Another significant change affects how some plans renew automatically.
“That’s a big change — the stricter automatic re-enrollment rule,” Culp explained. “Those who have zero-premium plans must now physically go into their healthcare.gov accounts to re-enroll. If they don’t, they’ll no longer have a zero-premium plan — they’ll automatically be given a $5 premium instead.”
Culp urges people to log into their accounts and complete their re-enrollment this year.
“If they’re not comfortable doing that themselves, they can come here and we’ll gladly help them,” she added.
PLAN CHOICES have also narrowed. Culp noted that there are only six companies in the Marketplace for Kansas this year.
“One has decreased its coverage area and one dropped out entirely,” she said. Among the most notable exits is Aetna, which has dropped out of the state of Kansas completely.
“Anyone who had an Aetna plan through the Marketplace will need to come in before Dec. 15 to switch into a new plan,” Culp noted. “Otherwise, they won’t have coverage come Jan. 1.”
For southeast Kansas residents, options are even more limited.
“For our region, there are only three choices out of the six companies: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, Oscar, and Ambetter,” Culp said. “Blue Cross has the largest network. Oscar is still new — this is only their second year in the Marketplace, so their network is very limited. I strongly suggest anyone looking at an Oscar plan make sure their providers and hospitals are in-network.”
Ambetter, she added, remains a popular but sometimes tricky option.
“Saint Luke’s is not in their network,” she explained. “If you go to a Saint Luke’s provider or hospital for care, it won’t accept Ambetter insurance.” Allen County Regional Hospital is a Saint Luke’s hospital.
“A lot of people here choose Ambetter because it’s cheaper — their premiums are lower than Blue Cross Blue Shield’s,” Culp added. “Some people decide that making the drive to an in-network provider is worth the savings.”
