Kansas Insurance Department
The Kansas Insurance Department is responsible for regulating all types of insurance sold in the Kansas - including health insurance policies.
If you are looking for health insurance coverage, the Insurance Department can help you find an insurance agent or insurance company that is licensed to do business in Kansas. You can contact them at the phone number listed below, or conduct your own search online.
If you are having trouble resolving a claims dispute with your insurer, you can file a complaint with the Insurance Department. Contact the Insurance Department at the phone number listed below, or fill out the online complaint form.
Kansas Insurance Department
420 SW 9th Street
Topeka, Kansas 66612-1678
Phone: 1.800.432.2484 OR 785.296.3071
Fax: 785.296.2283
E-mail: commissioner@ksinsurance.org
http://www.ksinsurance.org/index.htm
U.S. Department of Labor
If you get your insurance through your job, your plan is also regulated by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). They make and enforce the rules that your employer must follow when offering health insurance coverage to employees - for example, your employer cannot single out an individual employee to exclude her from the plan because she (or one of her dependents) has a costly illness. Also, if there are 20 or more employees at your job, you should be offered COBRA continuation coverage when you leave your job. The EBSA works to make sure that all of this happens and your rights are protected.
If you have concerns about your employer's practices in administering your job-based health coverage - for example, if you think you should have been offered COBRA continuation coverage, but were not, or if you feel that you were wrongly terminated from your health plan - contact your regional EBSA office.
U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration
Kansas City Regional Office
1100 Main Street, Suite 1200
Kansas City, MO 64105-5148
Steve Eischen – Director
Phone: 816.426.5131
Fax: 816.426.5511
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/
Buying Individual Policies in Kansas
As a general rule, insurers in Kansas are allowed to reject your application for coverage based on your health status. However, you may qualify for coverage as a "HIPAA-eligible" individual if you:
- had at least 18 months of continuous creditable coverage, the last day of which was under a group plan AND
- you have exhausted all COBRA continuation coverage which was available to you.
People who are HIPAA-eligible are guaranteed the right to buy insurance through the Kansas Health Insurance Association (described below). If you are not sure whether you are a HIPAA-eligible individual, your insurance agent or the Insurance Department can help you find out.
Kansas Health Insurance Association (KHIA)
KHIA offers coverage to individuals who are unable to purchase an individual health insurance policy because they have pre-existing health conditions. It also covers "HIPAA-eligible" individuals as described above. The KHIA website details the eligibility requirements for their program here.
You can also learn more about KHIA’s benefits and premium rates by visiting their site or contacting them at the phone number listed below.
Kansas Health Insurance Association (KHIA)
Phone: 1.800.362.9290
http://www.khiastatepool.com/
Kansas Healthwave 21 - the state Children's Health Insurance Program
Healthwave 21 provides health insurance coverage for children under age 19 whose families earn 200% of the federal poverty level or less .
Kansas Healthwave 21
Phone: 1.800.792.4884
http://www.kansashealthwave.org/
Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas(SHICK)
SHICK provides free one-on-one counseling for Medicare beneficiaries with questions about any aspect of Medicare, including the new Part D prescription drug benefit, or Medigap coverage.
Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas (SHICK)
Phone: 1.800.860.5260
Medicaid
Medicaid is a government program designed to help the poor and indigent obtain health care services. Pregnant women and children under age 19 who meet certain income requirements may be eligible for Medicaid coverage, along with aged, blind, and disabled individuals. For more information about Kansas's Medicaid program, including eligibility requirements, contact Kansas Healthwave at the number listed below.
Kansas Healthwave
Phone: 1.800.792.4884
https://www.kmap-state-ks.us/Public/Beneficiary.asp
