A nationwide PPO is still available in Kansas, and state law may help keep you covered while you get your electrical business started. Here's how electricians in Wichita and throughout Kansas can leave smaller contractors without losing coverage along the way.
Hi, I'm Sam. Health insurance is all I broker, I'm licensed in Kansas, and we can take care of everything together over the phone.
Aviation is a big part of Wichita, with electricians working throughout aircraft plants and their suppliers on assembly lines, testing areas and hangar improvements. Elsewhere in Kansas, smaller electrical companies with just a few workers handle wiring for farms, schools, businesses and newly built houses. It's common for an electrician to spend years with one of these contractors before getting licensed and opening a shop. The trouble is that leaving also means losing the employer's small group health plan. Fortunately, Kansas has a little-known law designed for that very transition.
Once your temporary coverage ends, I can help you get a nationwide PPO right here in Kansas.
You won't find that PPO through HealthCare.gov. In 2026, Kansas offers 64 individual medical plans through 6 insurers across its 105 counties, and they're all EPOs. Those plans generally won't pay for care outside their networks unless there's a genuine emergency. PPOs work differently: you can visit an out-of-network doctor and still receive some coverage, although your share of the bill increases, and referrals aren't required. Nationwide PPO access comes through private insurers that evaluate your health before issuing coverage and maintain contracts with providers around the country.
COBRA is a federal option generally meant for bigger employers, but Kansas provides another route. Under K.S.A. 40-2209, the state's continuation law applies to group plans at businesses employing at least two people. After three months on the plan, you can keep that coverage when you leave. The important part is the price: the law requires the same premium charged to employees who remain enrolled. There's no extra markup, although the entire premium becomes your responsibility.
When your employment ends, you also generally get 60 days to enroll through HealthCare.gov. That gives you a chance to weigh Kansas continuation against marketplace coverage or, if your health qualifies, a medically underwritten PPO.
That's the transition we're talking about here. Usually, the simplest way to handle it is:
An underwritten PPO requires you to answer medical questions. Based on those answers, the carrier may accept your application, reject it or approve coverage while excluding a previous condition. Applicants in good health may qualify for premiums below the marketplace's unsubsidized prices.
Next step: Give me a call a couple of weeks before you finish the job. We'll coordinate your continuation coverage and the plan that replaces it.
Your electrical shop might not generate much profit in its first year. That's particularly important in Kansas, where Medicaid expansion hasn't been adopted and working adults have very limited access to Medicaid. Marketplace tax credits generally begin at the poverty level, so you'll want to estimate income carefully if business starts slowly.
If your electrical business has workers' compensation, remember that it pays for work-related injuries, not other medical needs.
Next step: Tell me what you realistically expect to profit during year one, and I'll explain where that puts your household.
Straight answers, no sales pitch.
In many cases, yes. K.S.A. 40-2209 allows Kansas continuation when an employer has at least two workers and you've been insured for three months. You keep the same premium rate as employees who remain covered.
There's no additional markup under the statute. You'll owe the entire premium yourself, but it must match the rate charged for employees who stay on the group plan.
HealthCare.gov doesn't offer one in Kansas. Its 64 individual medical plans for 2026 are all EPOs, but I can help a healthy electrician obtain a nationwide PPO.
Losing employer coverage generally gives you a 60-day enrollment period through HealthCare.gov, regardless of the month. Even if you choose Kansas continuation, keep track of that deadline in case you later decide the marketplace is preferable.
Tell me your county, the contractor's size, when your current plan ends and who needs coverage. I'll compare continuation with the other choices, show you actual prices and let you know if keeping what you have makes more sense.
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