If you have Medicare in the Kansas City area, the fall is when your plan can change under you. Medicare Open Enrollment (some people call it AEP, the Annual Enrollment Period) runs from October 15 to December 7, 2026. Anything you change takes effect January 1, 2027.
Most years, the smart move is to read your plan’s letter and make sure nothing big changed. The last two enrollment seasons in Kansas City have been busier than that. A carrier left the market. Hospitals and insurance companies ended contracts. New plans showed up on both sides of the state line. Here is a calm walk through what moved and what to check.
The dates that matter
| Date | What it means |
|---|---|
| October 15, 2026 | Open Enrollment starts. You can join, switch or drop a Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. |
| December 7, 2026 | Last day to make a change for 2027. |
| January 1, 2027 | Your new plan starts. |
| January 1 to March 31, 2027 | If you are in a Medicare Advantage plan, you get one more chance to switch plans or return to Original Medicare. |
These dates come from Medicare.gov. They do not move, even if the fall gets busy.
Change 1: Hospital networks shifted
A Medicare Advantage plan only pays its in-network rates at doctors and hospitals that have a contract with that plan. In Kansas City, two of those contracts changed in a way that affects a lot of people.
- NKC Health and UnitedHealthcare. NKC Health (North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health clinics) says it is out of network for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, including AARP and Optum branded plans, as of October 1, 2026. NKC Health says it will accept Original Medicare, Humana Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement plans in 2027. Source: NKC Health, page updated August 2026.
- Saint Luke’s and Aetna. Saint Luke’s says its doctors and hospitals will be out of network for Aetna Medicare Advantage plans starting January 1, 2027. Saint Luke’s lists Devoted Health, Humana and UnitedHealthcare among the Medicare Advantage carriers it will accept in 2027. Aetna Medicare Supplement plans are not affected. Source: Saint Luke’s, as of October 2026.
If you use either hospital system, do not assume your plan still works there. Check it for 2027, not for this year. Our page on your doctors and hospitals explains how we check this for you.
Change 2: A carrier left, and others came in
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) left the Medicare Advantage market at the end of 2024. It announced the move in May 2024 and said about 30,000 members were affected. Blue KC kept selling Medicare Supplement plans. That exit is history now, but many people who had to pick a new plan in a hurry for 2025 have not looked at their options since.
A plan that was the only good fit two years ago may not be the only fit now. That is not a reason to switch. It is a reason to look.
Change 3: The state line still matters
Kansas City sits on a state line, and Medicare Supplement (Medigap) rules are set by each state.
- Missouri has an anniversary rule. Each year, within 30 days before or after your policy anniversary, you can move to the same Medigap plan letter with a different company without answering health questions.
- Kansas does not have an anniversary or birthday rule. After your first six-month Medigap window, most switches require health questions unless a federal protection applies.
Open Enrollment does not change these Medigap rules. But if you live near the line, or you moved across it, it is worth knowing which rulebook you are under. See Missouri vs Kansas.
What to check before December 7
- Read your Annual Notice of Change. Your plan mailed it in September. It lists what changes January 1.
- Check your doctors and hospital for 2027. Use the plan’s 2027 directory, or let us do it.
- Check your medicines. Drug lists and tiers change every year. Look up each medicine, each dose and your pharmacy.
- Look at the whole cost picture. The monthly premium is only one piece. Our Medicare costs page has the 2027 figures.
- Compare against what is new. If plans you have never heard of showed up in your mail, ask us what they are.
What to do next
You do not have to figure this out alone, and you do not have to decide fast. Call us first, before you change anything. We are local, independent and here all year, not just in the fall. There is no fee to work with us, and the price of a plan is the same as going direct. We will check your doctors, your medicines and your hospital against the plans we offer, and you decide. Start with your doctors and hospitals or book a free review.
Sources
- Medicare.gov: Joining a plan (enrollment periods)
- NKC Health: UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage coverage update (updated 08/2026)
- Saint Luke's: Medicare Advantage information for 2027
- Blue KC press release: exit from Medicare Advantage in 2025 (May 30, 2024)
- Missouri Medicare supplement regulation, 20 CSR 400-3.650