Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City announced it will exit the Medicare Advantage market at the end of 2024 citing heightened regulatory demands and rising market and financial pressures. The not-for-profit organization, which insures roughly one million individuals across the Kansas City region, remains focused on its range of employer-sponsored health plans, Medicare Supplement offerings, as well as its array of individual and family plans for those under 65, including Affordable Care Act plans.
While Blue KC is the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri, serving 32 counties including Johnson and Wyandotte in Kansas, the organization’s relatively small Medicare Advantage membership does not provide the scale required to successfully compete in today’s complex and continuously changing market. Blue KC’s decision to exit Medicare Advantage will allow the company to accelerate innovation in other market segments so it can continue to deliver affordable, high-quality healthcare coverage to its commercial employer groups and individual members, including ACA and Medicare Supplement plans long into the future.
“We explored every alternative path for our Medicare Advantage members and are disappointed we must exit this line of business,” said Erin Stucky, Blue KC President and CEO. “We value our MA members and are committed to providing uninterrupted, quality service to our current Medicare Advantage membership through the end of 2024.”
Blue KC’s Medicare Advantage membership represents approximately 30,000 individuals. The organization is informing impacted members and will provide more information about alternative 2025 coverage options. Local agents will be available to support Medicare Advantage members during annual enrollment, which runs from mid-October through early December.