Helping Families Navigate 2027 ACA Marketplace Changes
We know changes to health insurance can be confusing and stressful, especially when your child is already receiving care. If your family has an ACA Marketplace plan, this page is for you, and our team is here to help.
The ACA marketplace plans available can vary from year to year. For the upcoming year, there is change that impacts families who carry ACA insurance and receive care at Children’s Mercy.
The Select by Medica plan will no longer be offered beginning in January 2027 in the states of Kansas or Missouri. If your child is enrolled in this plan, you will need to choose a different plan. Our Financial Counselors are currently in the process of reaching out directly to impacted families and can walk you through your options.
If you live in the Kansas City area and your child is enrolled in another ACA Marketplace plan (Oscar, Ambetter, BlueKC, United Healthcare), those plans have not changed for 2027 and do not currently include Children's Mercy in their networks. Your child may still be able to receive care here through your plan's out-of-network benefits exception process, and our team will work directly with your plan to help with those arrangements whenever care is needed.
If you live in Kansas or Missouri outside the Kansas City metro area: You may have ACA Marketplace plan options that include Children’s Mercy in-network. Visit www.ChooseChildrensMercy.org to learn more about available options.
If your family has employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, TRICARE or other commercial insurance: this change doesn't affect you.
Our commitment to families remains the same: to help every child access the specialized care they need and to support families every step of the way.
FAQs
One plan is affected: Select by Medica. It will no longer be offered beginning January 1, 2027. Other ACA plans serving the Kansas City area are currently out of network with Children’s Mercy.
ACA plan availability varies on where you live, so visit www.Healthcare.gov for plans in your area and www.ChooseChildrensMercy.org to see which are in-network or out-of-network with Children’s Mercy.
No. This change applies only to the Select by Medica plan. Families with Medicaid, Medicare, employer-sponsored insurance, TRICARE, and other commercial plans are not affected by these changes.
Currently, beginning Jan.1, 2027, there will not be any in-network individual ACA plan options for families living in the Kansas City metro area. We want to participate in ACA plans serving our community, and we continue to speak with these plans in an effort to seek inclusion in their networks. Families who live outside the Kansas City metro area may have ACA plans that include Children’s Mercy. Visit www.ChooseChildrensMercy.org to check.
Your Medica coverage continues through Dec. 31, 2026. Open enrollment on www.Healthcare.gov runs from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15, and you need to choose a new plan by Dec. 15 for coverage that starts Jan. 1.
Start by exploring the insurance options available to your family. These may include:
- Insurance through an employer.
- Another ACA Exchange plan. Note: Individual ACA Exchange plans available in the Kansas City area are currently out-of-network with Children’s Mercy, but your child may still be able to receive care at Children’s Mercy using the plan’s out-of-network benefits exception process.
- Medicaid, if your family and/or child qualify. If you would like us to evaluate your eligibility for Medicaid, please reach out to our Financial Counselors at (816) 234-3567 who can help.
Children’s Mercy Financial Counselors can help you understand your options and next steps, including your eligibility for Children’s Mercy Financial Assistance. Call (816) 302-1650.
Nov. 1: Open enrollment on the ACA marketplace begins.
Dec. 15: Last day to choose a plan for coverage that starts Jan. 1.
Jan. 15: Open enrollment ends (coverage then starts Feb. 1).
Children’s Mercy offers financial assistance for families who qualify. Our Financial Counselors are available to discuss this option. Call (816) 234-3567 to learn more.
An insurance network change does not mean your child’s care simply stops on January 1. We want to help families keep their child’s care on track. Depending on your plan, an out-of-network benefit exception may be an option. Many plans have a process for approving out-of-network care when needed services aren’t available in network, but approval depends on your plan and we can’t guarantee it. Call us at (816) 302-1650 and we’ll start working with your insurance on approval for any services scheduled or needed in 2027.
Having an out-of-network insurance plan does not necessarily mean your child cannot receive care here. If your plan approves care at Children’s Mercy, your costs may be similar to receiving care from an in-network provider. Many plans have a process for approving out-of-network care when needed services aren’t available in network, but approval depends on your plan and we can’t guarantee it. Call us at (816) 302-1650 and we’ll start working with your insurance on approval for any services scheduled or needed in 2027. For more information, visit www.ChooseChildrensMercy.org and click “What if I have an Out-of-Network plan?”
Yes. Existing approved out-of-network exceptions with your insurance plan stay in place for the approved time period as long as you stay in the same plan. Because Select by Medica ends Dec. 31, 2026, families in that plan will need new approval under their new plan. For questions about a specific exception, contact the Financial Clearance team at (816) 302-1650.
The Select by Medica plan that included Children's Mercy will no longer be offered in the Kansas City area in 2027. The other individual ACA plans serving the Kansas City area have not included Children's Mercy in their network. We want to participate in ACA plans serving our community, and we continue to speak with these plans.
Contact our Children’s Mercy’s Financial Counselors who can help you understand your options and navigate these changes. They may be reached at (816) 302-1650. Please leave a voice message and our team will return your call by the end of the following business day.