© 2025 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

ACA Enrollment Up In Kansas And Missouri

Enrollment on the federal health exchange is up about 60 percent from a month ago in both Kansas and Missouri.

New numbers from the Kansas Department of Health and Human Services show that 22,388 people purchased insurance in Kansas as of Feb. 1, 2014. January's report showed 14,242 Kansans had enrolled.

In Missouri, the number of enrollees has jumped from 33,138 in January to 54,157 in February.

Close to 30 percent of the enrollees are in the coveted "young invincibles" demographic of 18 to 34. Observers say that younger enrollees are key to balancing the expense of older enrollees, who typically cost insurers more.

National enrollment has reached 3.3 million, still less than half of the 7 million goal hoped for by March 31, when open enrollment comes to a close.

As a health care reporter, I aim to empower my audience to take steps to improve health care and make informed decisions as consumers and voters. I tell human stories augmented with research and data to explain how our health care system works and sometimes fails us. Email me at alexs@kcur.org.
No matter what happens in Washington D.C., Kansas City needs KCUR. And KCUR needs you.

Our ability to report local news — accurate, independent and paywall-free — depends on you. Donate now to support fact-based news.