Children’s Mercy Hospital will once again be a provider for people using the Affordable Care Act Marketplace for insurance coverage, after the hospital announced that UnitedHealthCare has agreed to partner with them.
The hospital’s announcement comes several days after a Leawood mother, whose son is receiving cancer treatments there, took to social media after Children’s Mercy Hospital previously announced it would be out of network for patients with plans through the federal marketplace.
On Oct. 20, Kasey Jackson posted a video to Instagram after learning the hospital would no longer be an in-network option for people covered by the ACA. Her son Elijah, 13, was getting treatments there after a relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia that first befell him when he was 8. That post was liked more than 120,000 times and shared more than 15,000.
On learning this week from a Kansas City-area television reporter that the hospital is now back in the marketplace with UnitedHealthcare, Jackson posted a tearful Instagram update: “We did it,” she said, sobbing. “We did it.”
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The Jacksons, who owned an eyelash extension business, were among what Children’s Mercy estimated were 400 families affected when the family’s insurer, Medica, left the Kansas City area marketplace recently. It was the last available ACA option for families not covered by employer-sponsored health plans.
At the time, Children’s Mercy officials reportedly said that they wanted to continue the coverage and that the decision was not theirs. They also told patients they’d work to help them find options.
After the Jackson family found out their plan was no longer covered, Kasey began a series of social media posts which attracted national attention from such outlets as MS NOW and USA Today. She also said she contacted Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.
UnitedHealthcare will provide coverage, hospital says
The hospital’s FAQ webpage noted the update Wednesday that UnitedHealthcare will provide coverage beginning January 1, 2027.
However, people using Ambetter, BlueKC (Blue Metro and BlueSelect), and Oscar ACA Marketplace plans will still be out-of-network at the start of the new year. The webpage offered those families help in navigating their insurer’s exceptions processes.
The hospital’s announcement Wednesday said it reflects, “a shared commitment to helping children access the specialized care they need, while providing greater choice for families selecting coverage for 2027.”
It also says the hospital will continue discussions regarding additional ACA Marketplace health plans about in-network access. “As a non-profit pediatric hospital, Children’s Mercy will continue advocating for meaningful access to the specialized care children need.”
The announcement does not elaborate on how the agreement with UnitedHealthcare came about. A hospital spokesperson was not immediately available to say whether Jackson’s posts helped push the agreement over the goal line.
Open enrollment for ACA plans continues through Jan. 15.
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