About one in six people in Kansas ages 19 to 64 buy their own health insurance on the marketplace or directly from an insurance company. NerdWallet crunched the numbers on 63 health insurance plans to find the best and most affordable in Kansas.
We built our own data-driven marketplace health insurance rating system based on costs, claims denial rates, medical management programs, dental care, complaints, government quality data and more. We scored plans covering more than 95% of all marketplace health insurance enrollees in Kansas.
Here are the best health insurance companies in Kansas
Best and most affordable: Ambetter from Sunflower Health Plan
Best for claims approvals: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
Best for out-of-pocket costs: Aetna CVS Health
Compare the best health insurance plans in Kansas
Company name | NerdWallet rating | Plan types | Claims denial rate | Avg. Silver premium | Learn more |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEST AND MOST AFFORDABLE | partnered with HealthSherpa Call a consumer advocate at HealthSherpa Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT | ||||
![]() | 5.0/5 | EPO | 13.6% (Fewer than average) | $489.84 | |
BEST FOR CLAIMS APPROVALS | partnered with HealthSherpa Call a consumer advocate at HealthSherpa Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT | ||||
4.0/5 | EPO | 11.8% (Far fewer than average) | $680.18 | ||
BEST FOR OUT-OF-POCKET COSTS | partnered with HealthSherpa Call a consumer advocate at HealthSherpa Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT | ||||
![]() | 3.5/5 | EPO | Not yet available | $599.08 |
How we choose the best health insurance companies
👋 I’m Kate Ashford, a lead writer and content strategist covering health insurance. I did the research for this page to identify the best health insurance options in the state. I gathered and analyzed data across four major categories:
- 💰 Cost
Plans with lower costs, such as premiums, deductibles, copays, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximums, score the best.
We evaluate plans’ costs using marketplace health plan datasets. These enormous spreadsheets include as many as 149 discrete data points for over 100,000 plan offerings in 31 states that use the federal marketplace (other states use their own separate marketplaces).
It’s not feasible to evaluate every kind of cost in every scenario, so we use these as a sample:
Premiums
Premiums have the highest weight in our scoring. We compare each plan’s unsubsidized premium for a 30-year-old individual as a level playing field for comparison. We score plans based on how cheap they are compared to other plans of the same type and metal — Silver HMOs vs. other Silver HMOs, for example.
Deductibles
The amount you need to pay out of pocket before your plan starts to pay for its share of covered benefits. The lower the deductible, the better.
Out-of-pocket costs
We analyze each plan’s copays, coinsurance and deductibles for primary care visits, specialist appointments, emergency care and several tiers of prescription drugs.
- 🩺 Coverage
Plans score higher if they made covered medical care and prescription drugs more easily accessible.
We evaluate plans’ coverage using the same marketplace health plan datasets that we use to analyze costs along with additional data from government-provided “public use files.”
All marketplace plans have to cover the same essential health benefits, but some plans’ coverage is more usable than others. We score them on how coverage works.
Pre-deductible benefits
We give a strong scoring preference to plans that cover certain benefits before (and also after) you’ve met the deductible. Plans get lower scores when they don’t start to cover things like doctor’s office visits or prescription drugs until you’ve paid the full deductible.
Dental coverage
Plans that cover adult dental care also get more points for coverage than plans that don’t. (Unlike children’s dental care, adult dental care isn’t considered an essential health benefit, so plans may or may not cover it.)
- 📞 Customer experience
Plans score well when they have fewer denials, lower complaint rates and stronger customer satisfaction surveys.
We use three different data sources to evaluate customer experience:
Customer complaints
We collect and analyze customer complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. For each company, we calculate a multi-year average complaint rate.
NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.
Denials
Based on claims data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, we rank companies based on how often they deny in-network claims. The fewer denials, the better.
Satisfaction scores
We rate plans based on how well or poorly they score on government surveys evaluating customer satisfaction.
- 📈 Quality
Companies earn points based on their medical management programs and rankings on government ratings of medical quality.
We use two sources to score plans’ quality of care:
Government ratings
Marketplace plans get star ratings from the government based on how well they manage members’ health care, monitor conditions and provide certain medical services. We rank plans based on how highly they score on these ratings.
Medical management programs
Some plans offer medical management programs to help members with certain conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, depression, pregnancy and pain management. Plans score points based on how many of these programs they offer.
Best and most affordable: Ambetter from Sunflower Health Plan
Why we picked it: Ambetter from Sunflower Health Plan has the highest rating of the health insurance companies we reviewed in Kansas. It offers the lowest-priced Silver and Expanded Bronze plans and has a low claims denial rate. Many Ambetter plans also offer dental coverage. Like all companies in Kansas, Ambetter offers only EPO plan types.
Silver plans are often the most affordable because they’re potentially eligible for more subsidies than any other plan type. If you’re not eligible for premium subsidies, you may want to shop for plans other than Silver level (like Bronze or Expanded Bronze) to find the lowest premiums overall. There are no Bronze plans sold in Kansas by the companies we reviewed.

Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT
Pros
- Lowest-priced Silver and Expanded Bronze plans, on average.
- Low claims denial rate.
- Many plans offer dental.
Cons
- Some competitors offer lower out-of-pocket costs.
Best for claims approvals: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
Why we picked it: NerdWallet’s second-highest rated company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, has the lowest claims denial rate of the companies we analyzed.
Health insurance claims denials are a problem for many people: Insurance companies selling plans on Healthcare.gov denied 19% of in-network claims in 2023, according to the most recent data from KFF, a health policy nonprofit. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas’ denial rate is well below this number.
Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT
Pros
- Lowest claims denial rate.
- Below-average complaint rate.
Cons
- Competitors have lower average plan premiums.
Best for out-of-pocket costs: Aetna CVS Health
Why we picked it: Aetna CVS Health’s average fees are the lowest of the companies we reviewed for primary care physician or specialist visits, as well as for generic drugs. Aetna’s average deductible for Silver plans is also among the lowest. When you’re weighing the best plan for your needs, consider all costs, including monthly premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket charges and the out-of-pocket maximum, which is the most you’d have to spend in a year for covered care.

Mon–Fri: 6am–4pm PT
Pros
- Lowest costs to see your PCP or specialists.
- Lowest generic drug costs.
- Low Silver plan deductible.
Cons
- Some competitors have lower average plan premiums.
- See all marketplace insurance companies in Kansas.
Aetna CVS Health.
Ambetter from Sunflower Health Plan.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.
Medica.
Oscar Insurance Company.
UnitedHealthcare.
How to pick a marketplace health insurance plan
There can be a lot of moving parts when shopping for health insurance coverage. Here are a few questions to help you think through your needs and options:
How much are the plan’s costs? Do you understand what the plan’s premium, deductibles, copays and/or coinsurance will be? Can you afford them?
Are you eligible for subsidies? Whether applying yourself or with an agent/broker, be sure to enter accurate information to check whether you’re eligible for subsidies through the marketplace.
Is your doctor in-network? If you have a preferred doctor (or doctors) or hospital, make sure they participate in the plan’s network.
Are your prescriptions covered? If you’re on medication, understand how the plan covers it. What tier are your prescription drugs on, and are there any coverage rules that apply to them?
Is there dental coverage? Does the plan offer routine coverage for vision, dental and hearing needs?
If you have questions or need help navigating the marketplace, you can get help from a trained assister or an agent/broker at HealthCare.gov.
Off-marketplace health insurance in Kansas
Some marketplace plans have matching policies that can be bought outside of the marketplace. You can choose to buy an off-marketplace plan rather than a marketplace plan during open enrollment (Nov. 1 through Jan. 15), but subsidies aren’t available if you do so.
You might be able to find other kinds of health insurance plans sold outside of the marketplace (and outside of open enrollment), such as limited, short-term or alternative health plans. These plans might not have the same coverage and/or consumer protections as plans sold on the marketplace.
It’s a good idea to check whether an off-marketplace plan offers “minimum essential coverage.” If not, the plan might be allowed to do things that most health plans can’t, such as deny coverage due to health status, limit coverage of pre-existing conditions and/or not cover essential health benefits.
Best Medicare plans in Kansas
Medicare is available for people age 65 and older and people living with certain medical conditions. There are many kinds of Medicare coverage, and the best choice for you can depend on your health, finances and preferences. Check out NerdWallet’s reviews of the best Medicare plans:
Health insurance resources in Kansas
Kansas Department of Health and Environment: Provides resources and information about health and safety topics such as immunizations, disease reporting and environmental data.
KanCare: Provides information for families, individuals, providers and partners on KanCare, Kansas’s Medicaid program.
Kansas Insurance Department: Provides insurance information for consumers and handles insurance-related complaints.
Article sources
NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines.
- 1.U.S. Census Bureau. Health Insurance Coverage and Type by State. Accessed Apr 25, 2025.
- 2.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Issuer Level Enrollment Data. Accessed Apr 25, 2025.
Marketplace health insurance ratings methodology
NerdWallet evaluates marketplace health insurance plans based on marketplace data about plans’ premiums, out-of-pocket costs and benefits, prescription drug coverage, dental coverage, government quality rating data, complaint data, records about how plans approve and deny claims and more.
We evaluate individual plans and then aggregate scores to the company level. When a plan is missing data for a certain metric, we exclude it from calculations. For example, the federal government calculates official star ratings for marketplace health insurance plans, but many plans are unrated, and others have incomplete ratings. NerdWallet’s analysis incorporates government quality ratings when they’re available, but doesn’t penalize plans that are unrated.
These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best coverage and rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines for more information.
Insurer complaints methodology
We examined complaints received by state insurance regulators and reported to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. To assess how insurers compare to one another, the NAIC calculates a complaint index each year for each subsidiary, measuring its share of total complaints relative to its size, or share of total premiums in the industry.
To evaluate a company’s complaint history, we calculated a similar index for each insurance company, weighted by market shares of each subsidiary. We score companies based on this index of how many complaints the company receives relative to its market share.
NerdWallet conducts its data analysis and reaches conclusions independently and without the endorsement of the NAIC.