Published: 9/28/2013 9:16 PM | Last update: 9/28/2013 11:48 PM

About 366,000 Kansans don't have any health insurance. Some can't afford it. Some can't get it because of a pre-existing condition. And some are young and healthy and haven't thought they need it.

But come Jan. 1, as major provisions of the Affordable Care Act take effect, many of those who think they can't afford it will be able to get a federal subsidy for insurance; pre-existing conditions will no longer be grounds for an insurance company to refuse to provide coverage, and the young invincibles, as well as all other uninsured people, will be required to have insurance or pay a tax penalty.

Given those circumstances, the big question on many people's mind is how much health insurance will cost under the Affordable Care Act. The answer depends on your age, your income, whether you use tobacco products and where you live.

But here are a few scenarios, based on a cost estimator available at http://www.InsureKS.org, a Web site set up by the Kansas Insurance Department. Each scenario is based on the average cost of a "silver" plan offered by the four companies that have applied to sell insurance on the federal insurance exchange in Kansas. There are bronze, silver, gold and platinum plans, based on the percentage of health care costs they will cover, which range from 60 to 70 to 80 and 90 percent.

Suppose, for instance, you are a married couple, ages 35 and 34, with two children, you live in Reno County and your total family income is $50,000 a year. The total monthly premium for a family silver plan would be about $561, but you would qualify for federal tax credits that would reduce the monthly premium to $280. Premiums would be higher if any members of the family are tobacco users.

If that same family had total income of $70,000, their total premium would still be $561 a month, but they would get a much smaller subsidy and would be responsible for paying $549 a month.

A 60-year-old Reno County resident, nonsmoker, living alone with $25,000 a year in income, would pay $420 a month for a silver plan, but also would qualify for a tax credit subsidy that would reduce the monthly premium to $144. A single 60-year-old making $35,000 a year would pay $277 a month for the same insurance.

A 27-year-old non-smoking Reno County resident making $30,000 a year, would pay $162 a month for a silver plan, but would not qualify for a subsidy to reduce the premium.

Read more from the original source:

Health care Q&A: Cost, type of coverage varies