Rating area 4 is the largest by county count: 25 counties covering northwest Kansas from Hays and Great Bend to Colby, Goodland and the Colorado line. Employers here are smaller and farther apart, and some employees live an hour or more from the nearest large hospital.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas and UnitedHealthcare filed small group factors here for 2026. For a small rural group, a plan with a wide network across the region usually matters more than any one feature on the summary sheet.
Counties in rating area 4
Barton, Cheyenne, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Greeley, Lane, Logan, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Phillips, Rawlins, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Scott, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Thomas, Trego, Wallace and Wichita. Larger towns include Hays, Great Bend, Colby, Goodland, Russell and Norton.
Carriers and filed factors in area 4
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.
| Carrier | Area 4 factor | Rank in its Kansas areas | Plan types | Filed change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas | 1.089 | Highest of 7 | EPO, PPO | +8.37% |
| UnitedHealthcare | 0.908 | 5 of 7, low to high | EPO, POS | +9.97% |
What employers in Northwest Kansas should check
- Where employees actually get care, including trips to Hays, Wichita or Denver for specialists.
- Participation minimums for very small groups, where one waiver can change the math.
- Seasonal harvest staff and family members on payroll.
We check each of these when we quote a group in area 4, 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 3: North central Kansas (14 counties)
- Area 5: Southwest Kansas (21 counties)
- Area 6: South central Kansas (17 counties)
- Area 7: Southeast Kansas (7 counties)
