health insurance

The hospital previously announced it would have no in-network options next year for families who purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

The state’s uninsured rate for kids has been climbing steadily from 5.2% in 2022 to 8.5% in 2025.

Once Children’s Mercy hospital becomes out of network for her family, Christy Moreno may have to seek specialty treatment in Mexico or Canada. She says the cancellation of the family’s insurance has put her child in a life-or-death situation.

Children’s Mercy recently announced it will no longer be in-network for Kansas City-area health insurance plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act marketplace at the start of the year, leaving many families without options.

New federal rules take effect in two months, requiring many Medicaid recipients to prove they work, volunteer or otherwise partake in "community engagement" activities. MO HealthNet recipients will also need to verify their eligibility twice a year instead of once.

Nonprofit hospitals are required to help those who can’t pay, but as medical costs rise and health insurance coverage shrinks, some patient advocates say hospitals need to do more. Recent reporting about Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall has raised broader questions about the ethics and methods of collecting debt.

The Kansas Department of Insurance regulates insurance companies that sell policies in Kansas. Voters will decide in November who will lead the department for the next four years.

The end of enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans is adding to the tally of uninsured patients. New Medicaid requirements coming in January could be a multiplier.

Medicaid policy experts say anticipated changes to Medicaid eligibility requirements are already having a chilling effect, particularly among immigrants. Jackson County leaders are trying to get the word out so as many people as possible can keep their coverage.

Every carrier selling health insurance in the two states through the Affordable Care Act marketplace hopes to raise premiums in 2027, according to preliminary rate filings with state insurance regulators. They blame rising healthcare costs.

New work requirements and twice-yearly eligibility checks are expected to cause millions of adults to lose Medicaid coverage. But community religious leaders and health advocates have been meeting every other week to plan and strategize about how to mitigate the damage.

Missouri's 25% drop in Obamacare marketplace enrollment is at least partly due to expiration of pandemic-era subsidies, experts say.