Blue KC earns 4 out of 5 stars in NCQA’s 2026 Health Plan Ratings

No other NCQA-accredited commercial health plan in KS and MO accomplished that feat

KANSAS CITY, MO (October 13, 2026) — The NCQA’s¹ annual Health Plan Ratings are out, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC) stood out not only in Kansas and Missouri, but also in the 10-state region by achieving a 4 out of 5-star rating.

Blue KC was awarded:

• 4 Stars for its commercial PPO plan
• 4 Stars for its commercial HMO plan

The ratings make Blue KC:

• The only 4-star rated commercial product in Missouri and Kansas
• The 3rd highest rating for commercial HMO plans in the 10-state region²
• Tied for 1st in commercial PPO plans in the 10-state region²

“Blue KC is proud to be the only NCQA-accredited commercial health plan in Kansas or Missouri to earn a 4 out of 5-star rating,” said Jenny Housley, President of Blue KC. “These ratings provide independent validation that Blue KC is committed to improving health outcomes for the members and communities we serve.”

Additionally, Blue KC is the only commercial PPO plan in the 10-state region² and one of only three commercial plans (out of 111 nationwide) to receive Health Outcomes Accreditation³.

While many factors led to the 2026 ratings, Blue KC outperformed other plans in NCQA’s Prevention and Population domain for:

• Smarter clinical data capture
• Earlier, targeted intervention
• More ways to contact members about gaps in care
• Provider and value-based enablement
• Continuous feedback and execution

¹ National Committee for Quality Assurance
² 10-state region includes: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee
³ The Health Outcomes Accreditation is awarded to plans for identifying and addressing barriers that prevent members from accessing high-quality care.

About NCQA
NCQA is an independent nonprofit organization that defines and drives healthcare quality through accreditation, standards, performance measurement and expert support. For more than 35 years, NCQA has advanced transparency, accountability and enabled healthcare organizations to deliver better outcomes for patients. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is one of healthcare’s most widely used performance improvement tools. Learn more at ncqa.org. Follow NCQA on X @ncqa and on LinkedIn.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City  
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in Missouri and the only not-for-profit commercial health insurer in Kansas City, has been part of the Kansas City community since 1938. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City provides health coverage services to more than one million residents in the greater Kansas City area, including Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and 30 counties in Northwest Missouri. Our mission: to provide affordable access to healthcare and to improve the health of our members. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. For more information on the company, visit its website at BlueKC.com.