Kansas State Employees Could Lose Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance

Kansas state employees could lose Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance, in a cost-cutting move that would give affected workers just one insurance option while potentially saving the state millions.

As Kansas Reflector reported, Kansas state decision-makers are weighing whether to remove Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas from the state employee health insurance plan.

Members of the Kansas State Employees Health Care Commission (KSEHCC) questioned representatives from Aetna and Blue Cross at an April 15 meeting, weighing proposals to administer the state’s health insurance plans for 43,000 eligible employees, Kansas Reflector’s Morgan Chilson wrote.

Dropping Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas from the state employee health insurance plan would give these workers just one health insurance option, and could save the state nearly $240 million over three years,” Chilson noted.

The cost for offering only Blue Cross would be just over $1.5 billion, according to Kansas Reflector, while Aetna came in at $1.4 billion for Aetna Choice POSII and $1.3 billion for Aetna Local Best, according to Kansas Reflector. If the state continued with both companies, combining Blue Cross and Aetna Local Best, the cost is just under $1.5 billion.

During the April 15 meeting, one member of the KSEHCC said the cost difference would lead him to choose to offer Aetna alone.

“I’m a dollar and cent guy,” said Rep. Bill Sutton, who serves on the commission on behalf of the state’s House Appropriations Committee. “We have the responsibility to our plan members.

Other commission members were more reluctant to make a decision without more information, and expressed concerns about access to care under the Aetna provider network, Chilson wrote, adding that the commission is expected to reach a final decision in May.

“I have a team of people who are based across the state, and I know that they already have problems accessing care,” said Cristi Cain, a Kansas Department of Health and Environment employee who represents state employees on the commission, during the April 15 meeting.

“I don’t want to make it more difficult for state employees to access care.”