Best Short-Term Health Insurance in Kansas (2024)

In Kansas, National General Accident & Health and UnitedHealthcare are MoneyGeek’s picks for best overall short-term insurance providers, scoring 95 and 70 out of 100, respectively.

Short-term health insurance is a good option if you need temporary coverage, say when you're between jobs or waiting for open enrollment in a marketplace plan. Short-term plans only cover you for a few weeks or months but can be extended.

However, short-term plans don’t comply with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), might not include essential health benefits and can turn you down if you have pre-existing medical conditions.

Although short-term plans are cheaper, they shouldn’t replace a marketplace plan. You might be able to sign up for a marketplace plan with better coverage at a similar cost if you take advantage of subsidies.

These companies offer the best short-term health insurance in Kansas:

• National General Accident & Health: 95 out of 100
• UnitedHealthcare: 70 out of 100
• Independence American Insurance Company: 70 out of 100

MoneyGeek based these rankings on the companies’ average maximum out-of-pocket (MOOP) costs and flexibility in cost-sharing.

Of these top picks, National General Accident & Health and UnitedHealthcare offer comparably low MOOP costs at $11,000 and $11,321, respectively. Independence American Insurance Company has a higher average MOOP at $12,833 but compensates by providing significantly more plan options.

Based on MoneyGeek’s extensive research, National General Accident & Health offers the cheapest short-term health insurance in Kansas, with an average MOOP cost of $11,000.

Typically, plans with lower premiums come with higher out-of-pocket costs. To minimize out-of-pocket payments, make sure your plan offers adequate coverage for your medical needs.

If you’re between jobs, you might need health insurance for one month until your new employer-sponsored plan begins. Short-term health insurance will help bridge this gap in health coverage for the unemployed.

MoneyGeek recommends these health insurance companies if you’re unemployed in Kansas:

• National General Accident & Health: $127 per month
• Independence American Insurance Company: $165 per month
• UnitedHealthcare: $138 per month

Although National General Accident & Health and UnitedHealthcare are cheaper, Independence American Insurance Company offers more choices for splitting coverage costs.

Note that we base these ratings on affordability and cost-sharing options. We only included companies that offer cheaper-than-average premiums. Generally, low premiums are offset by higher MOOPs, so only choose them if you don’t require significant medical care.

Short-term health insurance is a good option if you’re facing life transitions and need emergency, temporary coverage lasting anywhere from a month to a year. However, it should only serve as a bridge until you can obtain long-term coverage from marketplace plans or an employer.

In some states, you can purchase short-term health coverage for 364 days with the option for renewal, thus extending coverage for over a year. But in Kansas, short-term health insurance plans last an initial period of 365 days, and you can renew only once for a maximum term duration of 24 months.

The topic of health insurance can be difficult to navigate, especially if you find yourself needing immediate coverage during life transitions. MoneyGeek helps you through this process by answering frequently asked questions about short-term health insurance in Kansas.