• Aetna
• Assurant
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield

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• GoldenRule
• HumanaOne

• Supplemental Medigap Insurance
• Medicare Advantage Insurance
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield

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• Central Reserve
• Continental
• SecureHorizons by UnitedHealthcare
• Universal American
• WellCare

Conclusions Regarding Kansas Health Insurance Coverage

The most recent data clearly indicate that more Kansans have become uninsured. We reported last year in Health Insurance and the Uninsured in Kansas that 307,000 Kansans were uninsured. This year the number has risen to 340,000. These are Kansans who report that they were never covered by health insurance during the previous calendar year.

This means that about 12.5 percent of Kansans were uninsured in 2006-2007. This is a substantial increase over 11.3 percent in 2005-2006 and 10.5 percent in 2004-2005. Kansas is one of 10 states in which the percentage of the population lacking health insurance increased between 2004-2005 and 2006-2007.

Many of those who have been added to the ranks of the uninsured are adult, full-time workers. Many are adults age 45-54. And a surprising number have family incomes that exceed 400 percent of the poverty level.

The increase in the number of uninsured Kansans coincides with a decline in employer-sponsored coverage. While there are many possible explanations for this decline, data from an annual survey of private-sector employers suggest one contributing factor was a drop in the percentage of employees who were eligible for health insurance through their employers between 2004 and 2006. Eligibility for benefits is not guaranteed even though an employer may sponsor a health plan. For example, an employer may restrict eligibility to full-time workers or those in management positions.

The most recent data detail the insurance status of Kansans prior to the economic downturn in 2008. Unemployment in Kansas has increased since 2007 as it has nationwide, and it is likely that the number of uninsured Kansans has increased as well. It is also likely that the number of Kansans living in poverty has grown.

Even before the 2008 economic decline, about 94,000 uninsured Kansans were living in poverty. And more than half of all uninsured Kansans had incomes less than 200 percent of the poverty level.

The problem of uninsurance threatens the health and financial well-being of Kansans. Given the challenging economic times, it is perhaps more important than ever that state policymakers consider strategies that prevent more Kansans from becoming uninsured and that help provide those who already are uninsured with access to affordable health care.