Medicaid plans › Kansas
Kansas Medicaid Managed-Care Plans for Providers
Enrollments are billed 50% at the start and 50% at submission; everything else 100% at the start.
KanCare is run by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. 358,532 people were enrolled in its 3 managed-care plans in 2024. To see their patients, a provider enrolls with KanCare through the Kansas Medical Assistance Program (KMAP) portal, then applies to each plan separately.
| Plan | Members (2024) | Share | Parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas | 127,984 | 35.7% | UnitedHealth Group |
| Sunflower State Health Plan | 118,053 | 32.9% | Centene |
| Aetna Better Health of Kansas | 112,495 | 31.4% | CVS Health |
How Joining Works in Kansas
First the state: KanCare enrollment through the Kansas Medical Assistance Program (KMAP) portal, which gives you the Medicaid ID every plan asks for. Then the plans: each takes its own participation request and credentials you from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile. 3 parent companies run plans here, and plans owned by the same company still contract state by state.
How to Join Each Kansas Plan
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas (UnitedHealth Group): UnitedHealthcare Community Plans use UnitedHealthcare's provider onboarding: a participation request on the UnitedHealthcare provider site, credentialing from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile, then a state-specific Community Plan agreement.
Sunflower State Health Plan (Centene): Centene runs this plan alongside its Ambetter and Wellcare products. Each Centene plan takes its own contract request on the plan's provider website, credentials from your CAQH ProView (DataSpring) profile, and will not load a provider without the state Medicaid ID.
Aetna Better Health of Kansas (CVS Health): Aetna Better Health plans each have a state-specific "Join our network" request on aetnabetterhealth.com. They are separate from Aetna's commercial network, so an Aetna commercial contract does not carry over.
Also in Kansas: Medicare, KanCare and commercial credentialing.
Questions
Which Kansas Medicaid plan is the largest?
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas, with 127,984 members in 2024, 35.7% of the 358,532 people enrolled in Kansas's Medicaid managed-care plans.
Do I have to join every Kansas Medicaid plan?
No. Each plan is a separate contract. Practices usually start with the two or three largest plans in their county, then add others as patients ask for them. All of them require KanCare enrollment first.
Membership from KFF, Medicaid MCO Enrollment by Plan and Parent Firm, 2024. Plans change when the state rebids its contracts; we confirm the current list on every file.