Belton, Missouri and Overland Park, Kansas are about 20 miles apart. People in both towns shop at the same stores, see the same specialists and end up in the same hospitals. But when it comes to Medicare Supplement insurance, they live under two different rulebooks. Here is what the state line changes, and what it does not.
What does not change
Let’s start with the good news. Medicare itself is federal. Part A, Part B, Part D and Medicare Advantage work the same way on both sides of State Line Road.
- Open Enrollment is October 15 to December 7 in both states.
- Your six-month Medigap Open Enrollment window when you first get Part B at 65 is federal and applies in both states.
- Medigap plan letters are standardized. A Plan G in Belton covers the same things as a Plan G in Overland Park.
- Federal guaranteed issue rights, such as when your Medicare Advantage plan ends, apply in both states.
What differs is what each state adds on top.
The Missouri side
Missouri has what people call the anniversary rule. It comes from the state’s Medicare supplement regulation. Once you have a Medigap policy, you get a yearly window around your policy anniversary date. During that window (within 30 days before or after your policy anniversary), you can move to the same plan letter with a different company, and the new company must accept you without health questions.
In practice, that means a Belton resident with Plan G can shop Plan G from other companies every single year without health questions. If a company raises its rates, you are not stuck. This applies across the Missouri side of the metro: Belton, Raymore, Harrisonville, Lee’s Summit, Grandview, Independence, Blue Springs, Liberty and Gladstone.
Missouri’s free Medicare counseling program is Missouri SHIP (formerly CLAIM), 800-390-3330.
The Kansas side
Kansas has no anniversary rule and no birthday rule. An Overland Park resident with Plan G who wants to switch companies after the first six months generally has to answer health questions, and the company can say no or charge more.
Kansas does have one protection worth knowing. People who get Medicare before 65 because of a disability get a six-month Medigap window when their Part B starts. Kansas requires companies to charge them the same price as a 65-year-old. Missouri gives people under 65 the same six-month window, but it allows a modestly higher rate, capped close to the 65-year-old rate. In both states, people under 65 get a second six-month window when they turn 65. In some states, people under 65 have very little access to Medigap, so both Kansas and Missouri do better than many.
Kansas’s free counseling program is SHICK (Senior Health Insurance Counseling for Kansas). In Johnson County, SHICK counselors work through the K-State Research and Extension office and Johnson County Aging and Human Services.
Side by side
| Belton (Missouri) | Overland Park (Kansas) | |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly chance to switch Medigap companies without health questions | Yes, within 30 days before or after your policy anniversary, same plan letter | No |
| First six-month Medigap window at 65 | Yes (federal) | Yes (federal) |
| Medigap access under 65 on disability | Yes, six-month window when Part B starts; rates capped near the 65-year-old rate | Six-month window at standard rates, plus another at 65 |
| Free state counseling | Missouri SHIP (formerly CLAIM), 800-390-3330 | SHICK |
| Medicare Advantage and Part D rules | Federal, same | Federal, same |
Why this catches people off guard
Three situations come up again and again.
Families split by the line. Advice that works on the Missouri side does not always work on the Kansas side. A Missouri Medigap holder can switch companies at the anniversary without health questions. A Kansas relative who tries the same thing will usually face health questions and can be turned down. Nobody did anything wrong. They live under different rules.
Moving across the line. If you move from Missouri to Kansas, your Medigap policy comes with you; it works anywhere in the country. But your future switching rights follow your new state. A move the other way, from Kansas to Missouri, gives you the anniversary rule going forward.
National advice. Most Medicare websites and TV ads are written for the whole country. They cannot tell you about a Missouri rule or a Kansas rule. A local agent can.
What this means for your decision
If you live in Missouri and choose the Supplement road, you have a yearly safety valve. Use it. Write your policy anniversary date down and compare every year.
If you live in Kansas and choose the Supplement road, pick carefully the first time. Your six-month window may be the only time you can choose any company without health questions. That makes company stability and service history matter more than a small price difference.
For both sides, Medicare Advantage networks need a check every fall. Kansas City hospitals have ended contracts with carriers on both sides of the line. Networks change every year, and we check them for you.
What to do next
If you live near the state line, or you have family on the other side, call us first before anyone changes a Medigap policy. Cole Insure is licensed in both Missouri and Kansas, and we are local and independent. There is no fee to work with us, and prices are the same as going direct. We will tell you which rules apply to you and whether a change makes sense. Read more on Missouri vs Kansas, check your doctors and hospitals, or book a free review.