Kansas Medigap: Open Enrollment, Under 65, Guaranteed Issue (2026)

Kansas Medigap rules give new Part B enrollees who are 65 or older, or under 65 with a disability, six months to buy any Medicare Supplement policy sold in Kansas despite health problems.1 The Kansas Insurance Department (KID) says the Kansas Medigap (Medicare Supplement) open enrollment period starts the same day your Medicare Part B starts, and that insurers must charge healthy applicants and applicants with medical conditions the same rate during it.1 Kansas statute K.S.A. 40-2221 goes further than federal law by barring insurers from turning away Kansans under 65 who have Medicare because of a disability and apply within six months of enrolling in Part B.1,2

In This Guide

• Can You Buy Medigap Under 65 in Kansas?
• When Is the Kansas Medigap Open Enrollment Window?
• Will a Kansas Medigap Policy Cover a Pre-Existing Condition Right Away?
• When Must a Kansas Insurer Sell You a Medigap Policy Later?
• Which Medicare Supplement Plans Can You Buy in Kansas?
• Should You Choose Medigap or Medicare Advantage in Kansas?
• What Protections Do You Get After Buying a Kansas Medigap Policy?
• Kansas Medigap at a Glance
• Where Can You Get Medigap Help in Kansas?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Can You Buy Medigap Under 65 in Kansas?

Kansans under 65 can buy Medigap if they have Medicare because of a disability and apply on time. Federal law is less generous: Medicare.gov says federal law generally doesn't require insurance companies to sell Medigap policies to people under 65, though insurers in some states do offer them.2

Kansas is one of the states that closes the gap by statute. K.S.A. 40-2221 sets four rules for an insurer that issues Medicare Supplement policies in Kansas:1

• (a) No denial: The insurer shall not deny coverage to an applicant under 65 who becomes eligible for Medicare by reason of disability, if the applicant applies within six months of the first day the person enrolls for benefits under Medicare Part B.
• (b) No health conditions: For a disabled applicant who applies during the six-month period beginning with the first day of the month of Part B enrollment, the insurer may not condition the policy on health status, claims experience, receipt of health care or medical condition.
• (c) Same policy types: The insurer shall make available to people eligible for Medicare by reason of disability each type of Medicare Supplement policy it makes available to people eligible by reason of age.
• (d) Rate ceiling: The insurer shall not charge a disabled applicant under 65 more for a plan than it charges 65-year-olds for that plan.

KID's 2026 guide puts the same rule in plain terms: disabled Medicare beneficiaries under 65 have equal access to all Medicare Supplement policies sold in Kansas, and their six-month open enrollment period begins the day Part B coverage becomes effective.1

The under-65 Kansas right is not a promise of day-one coverage for every condition. KID's guide says a Medicare Supplement policy sold to a disabled Kansan under 65 during open enrollment will be guaranteed issue, but the same preexisting condition limitation that applies to age-65 buyers may apply.1

Buying a Kansas Medigap policy under 65 does not use up the window at 65. KID's guide says a second open enrollment period applies when the disabled Medicare beneficiary turns 65, and Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide says a person who already has Part B still gets a Medigap Open Enrollment Period on turning 65.1

When Is the Kansas Medigap Open Enrollment Window?

The Kansas Insurance Department's Medicare Supplement Shopper's Guide (Rev. 2026) states that the six-month open enrollment period for Medicare Supplement insurance starts on the same day your Part B Medicare starts, a date printed on your Medicare card. KID's guide says the Kansas window starts automatically for someone who is 65 or older, or under 65 and eligible for Medicare because of a disability, once that person is enrolled in Medicare Part B.1

During the six-month Kansas Medigap open enrollment period, KID's guide says three things hold:

• You can buy any Medicare Supplement policy sold in Kansas, even if you have health problems.
• Insurers must offer a Medicare Supplement policy to all enrollees, regardless of health status.
• Insurers must charge healthy people and people with medical conditions the same rate.1

Federal law sets the same floor for people 65 and older. Medicare.gov describes the federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period as a six-month window starting the first month a person has Part B and is 65 or older, and Section 1882 of the Social Security Act bars an insurer from denying, conditioning or pricing a policy on health for an application submitted before or during that window. Medicare.gov calls the Medigap Open Enrollment Period a one-time enrollment period that does not repeat every year.2

Once the six months end, Kansas Medigap insurers may use medical underwriting to decide whether to accept you and what to charge. KID's guide warns that a Kansan who applies after open enrollment has no guarantee an insurer will sell a Medicare Supplement policy without passing medical underwriting, unless a special situation applies.1 Those special situations are listed in When Must a Kansas Insurer Sell You a Medigap Policy Later? below, and Brevy's national guide to the Medigap open enrollment period covers the federal mechanics.

Will a Kansas Medigap Policy Cover a Pre-Existing Condition Right Away?

Guaranteed sale and immediate coverage are not the same promise. KID's 2026 guide states that Kansas Medicare Supplement policies must cover preexisting conditions once the policy has been in effect for six months, and that some policies may cover you sooner.1

Medicare's guide Choosing a Medigap Policy narrows which conditions a Medigap insurer can hold back:

• A Medigap policy can exclude coverage for a pre-existing condition only if the condition was treated or diagnosed within the six months before the Medigap coverage starts.
• A Medigap insurer can't make you wait if you have had at least six months of continuous prior creditable coverage.
• Prior creditable coverage counts toward the six months only if the break in coverage was no more than 63 days.1

A Kansan moving to Medicare from other health coverage should keep the dates of that coverage handy, because Medicare counts prior creditable coverage only when the break was no more than 63 days.1 Brevy's guide to Medigap and pre-existing conditions explains the look-back in more detail.

When Must a Kansas Insurer Sell You a Medigap Policy Later?

Outside open enrollment, a Kansas insurer must still sell certain Medigap policies without medical underwriting in specific situations called guaranteed issue rights. KID's 2026 guide describes guaranteed issue rights as situations in which an insurance company must give you access to certain Medicare Supplement plans for a set period outside your initial open enrollment period, and says the plans available and the length of the guaranteed issue period vary by situation.1

The Kansas Insurance Department's guide lists these eight situations:1

1. You have Original Medicare plus an employer group health plan (including retiree or COBRA coverage) or union coverage, and the employer group or you are ending that coverage.
2. You lose your Medicare Advantage coverage.
3. You move out of a Medicare Select policy's service area.
4. You joined a Medicare Advantage Plan or the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) when first eligible for Medicare Part A at 65, and within the first year you decide to switch to Original Medicare.
5. You dropped a Medicare Supplement policy to join a Medicare Advantage Plan or a Medicare Select policy for the first time, have been in the plan less than a year, and want to switch back.
6. Your Medicare Supplement policy ends through no fault of your own, such as your insurance company going bankrupt.
7. You leave a Medicare Advantage Plan or drop a Medicare Supplement policy because the company did not follow the rules or misled you.
8. You lose your eligibility for health benefits under Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid).

The eighth item matters for Kansans leaving Medicaid: KID's guide names losing Medicaid eligibility as a Kansas Medigap guaranteed issue situation. Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide notes that you may have additional rights under your state's laws.1 Brevy's guide to Kansas Medicare Savings Programs covers the Medicaid-run programs that help with Medicare costs.

How long do you have to apply?

KID's guide gives Kansas guaranteed issue application windows that run from as early as 60 calendar days before your health coverage ends to no later than 63 calendar days after it ends. The exact start and end dates depend on the situation, so confirm yours before you rely on a date. KID's guide also notes that Medicare Supplement coverage cannot begin until your Medicare Advantage Plan coverage has ended.1 Brevy's national guide to Medigap guaranteed issue rights explains which plan letters the federal situations reach.

What proof should you keep?

Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide tells people to keep copies of any letters, notices, emails or claim denials with their name on them as proof that coverage ended, along with the postmarked envelope as proof of when the papers were mailed.1 Medicare's guide also says to call your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to make sure you qualify for a guaranteed issue right, and to call your State Insurance Department if you are denied Medigap coverage in one of these situations.1

Switching Medigap policies without a guaranteed issue right is harder. Medicare.gov says that, under federal rights, in most cases you won't be able to switch Medigap policies outside your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment Period except when you have a guaranteed issue right, and that switching outside that window may mean paying more and answering medical questions.3

Which Medicare Supplement Plans Can You Buy in Kansas?

KID's 2026 guide says Medicare Supplement insurance in Kansas is broken into standardized plans identified by the letters A, B, C, D, F, G, K, L, M and N.1 Every company selling Medicare Supplement insurance in Kansas must make Plan A available, and KID's guide says each must also offer Plan C or Plan F for people eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020, or Plan D or Plan G for people eligible for Medicare on or after January 1, 2020.1

The 2020 split follows a federal change. Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide states that Medigap plans sold to people new to Medicare on or after January 1, 2020 aren't allowed to cover the Part B deductible, so Plans C and F are no longer available to those people, who have the right to buy Plans D and G instead.1 Someone who was eligible for Medicare before January 1, 2020 but hasn't yet enrolled may still be able to buy Plan C or Plan F, according to the same Medicare guide. Medigap Plans E, H, I and J are no longer sold, but a person who already has one can generally keep it.1

Brevy's guides to how the lettered Medigap plans work and to Plan G versus Plan N compare the letters benefit by benefit.

Should You Choose Medigap or Medicare Advantage in Kansas?

A Kansan has to pick one path. KID's guide states that Medicare Supplement policies cannot be purchased with a Medicare Advantage plan, and it notes that KID regulates Medicare Supplement insurance in Kansas while the federal government regulates Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans.1

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) booklet Understanding Medicare Advantage Plans adds the federal rules:

• You can't use a Medigap policy to pay Medicare Advantage Plan copayments, coinsurance, deductibles or premiums.
• If you are in a Medicare Advantage Plan, it's illegal for anyone to sell you a Medigap policy unless you're switching back to Original Medicare, and the CMS booklet says to report an attempted sale to your State Insurance Department.
• In most cases, if you drop a Medigap policy to join a Medicare Advantage Plan, you may not be able to get the same policy back.4

Federal law gives first-time Medicare Advantage members a way back. The CMS booklet says a person who joins a Medicare Advantage Plan for the first time and isn't happy with it has a "trial right" to buy a Medigap policy and a separate Medicare drug plan when returning to Original Medicare within 12 months of joining.4 KID's guaranteed issue list (situations 4 and 5 above) covers Kansans who joined Medicare Advantage or PACE when first eligible at 65, or dropped a Medigap policy to try Medicare Advantage or Medicare Select for the first time, and want to switch back within the first year.1 Brevy's guide to Medicare Advantage trial rights walks through the federal timing.

What Protections Do You Get After Buying a Kansas Medigap Policy?

KID's 2026 guide lists three protections that apply once a Kansas Medicare Supplement policy is in hand:1

• Free look: You get a 30-day free look at a Kansas Medicare Supplement policy, starting the day you receive it, and can return it within those 30 days for your money back.
• Guaranteed renewable: All Medicare Supplement policies sold today are guaranteed renewable, so the insurer cannot refuse to renew unless you stop paying premiums or gave false information on the application.
• Rating method: An issue-age policy's premium will not rise just because you get older, while an attained-age policy's premium will increase as you age.

Federal law backs the free look. Section 1882(c)(4) of the Social Security Act lets a Medigap policy be returned for a full refund of premiums during a period of at least 30 days after it is issued.3 Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide also states that any new Medigap policy issued since 1992 is guaranteed renewable even if you have health problems.1

The rating method shapes what a Kansas policy costs years from now, not just in the first year. Ask each insurer which method a quote uses; Brevy's guide to how Medigap premiums are priced explains the rating methods side by side.

Kansas Medigap at a Glance

The Kansas Medigap table summarizes KID's 2026 Medicare Supplement Shopper's Guide and K.S.A. 40-2221; the sections above give the exact wording and limits.1

Where Can You Get Medigap Help in Kansas?

• KID premium tool: The Kansas Insurance Department offers a free online tool for estimated Medicare Supplement premium rates, at insurance.kansas.gov/consumers/medicare.1
• KID Consumer Assistance: A Kansan with an insurance complaint can call KID at 1-800-432-2484 or email KDOI.Complaints@ks.gov.1
• SHICK: KID's guide lists Senior Health Insurance Counselors of Kansas (SHICK) at 800-860-5260 among its resources.1
• SHIP locator: Medicare's Choosing a Medigap Policy guide says to visit shiphelp.org for the number of your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP).1
• 1-800-MEDICARE: For Original Medicare questions, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) is the official line run by CMS, and TTY users call 1-877-486-2048; Medicare.gov says callers can reach a real person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except some federal holidays.5

Brevy's Kansas Medicare hub covers the rest of Medicare in the state.

Learn More

Find personalized help timing your Kansas Medigap window and checking a guaranteed issue right at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.