Which carriers sell small group plans in rating area 3?

For plans starting in 2026, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and UnitedHealthcare filed Kansas small group factors for this area. Which ones can quote you also depends on your group size and address.

What should employers in rating area 3 check before renewing?

Employees who waive because they have TRICARE or a spouse plan, and how each carrier counts them toward participation. Network reach outside Manhattan and Salina for staff who live in smaller towns. Seasonal and student workers, who may not need an offer of coverage at all. We check each of these when we quote a group here.

Group Health Insurance in North Central Kansas

Rating area 3 covers 14 counties across north central Kansas, from Manhattan and Junction City west to Salina and Ellsworth. Kansas State University and Fort Riley anchor the eastern end, Salina is the regional hub for manufacturing and healthcare, and the rest is farm country with small-town employers.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and UnitedHealthcare filed small group factors for this area for 2026. Military families around Fort Riley often carry other coverage, which changes how many employees enroll in a group plan.

Counties in rating area 3

Clay, Cloud, Dickinson, Ellsworth, Geary, Jewell, Lincoln, Mitchell, Morris, Ottawa, Republic, Riley, Saline and Washington. Larger towns include Manhattan, Salina, Junction City, Abilene, Concordia and Clay Center.

We publish city pages for Manhattan and Salina.

Carriers and filed factors in area 3

Each carrier files a geographic factor for every Kansas area it serves. Below 1.000 means this area prices under that carrier's own statewide base, above 1.000 means over it. Compare a factor with the same carrier's other areas, not with another carrier.

Kansas small group filings for rating area 3, effective January 1, 2026
Carrier	Area 3 factor	Rank in its Kansas areas	Plan types	Filed change
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas	0.966	3 of 7, low to high	EPO, PPO	+8.37%
UnitedHealthcare	0.908	5 of 7, low to high	EPO, POS	+9.97%

What employers in North central Kansas should check

Employees who waive because they have TRICARE or a spouse plan, and how each carrier counts them toward participation.
Network reach outside Manhattan and Salina for staff who live in smaller towns.
Seasonal and student workers, who may not need an offer of coverage at all.

We check each of these when we quote a group in area 3, then lay the carriers out side by side. It costs your business nothing. Request a free quote or see the Kansas rate tracker for what carriers asked for next year.

The other Kansas rating areas

Area 1: Kansas City metro (4 counties)
Area 2: Northeast Kansas (17 counties)
Area 4: Northwest Kansas (25 counties)
Area 5: Southwest Kansas (21 counties)
Area 6: South central Kansas (17 counties)
Area 7: Southeast Kansas (7 counties)

Sources

See what carriers charge in North central Kansas

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Group health insurance in North central Kansas