Insurers propose double-digit rate hikes for 2026 CT small group, individual health plans

Hartford Business Journal – Friday, July 18, 2025
By David Krechevsky

The state Insurance Department will hold a public meeting next month to discuss major health insurance rate hikes proposed for individuals and small businesses with 50 or fewer workers.

The Connecticut Insurance Department is currently considering eight rate requests from seven health insurers that currently cover approximately 224,000 people, including 158,000 individuals and 66,000 small group members.

The proposed rate increases are for 2026 health plans. The rate requests apply to individual and small group plans offered both on and off the state-sponsored health insurance exchange, Access Health CT.

Insurers have proposed an average small group rate increase of 13.1%, compared to 11.9% in 2025. Small group rate requests range from a 7% increase to a 20.4% increase, according to the Insurance Department.

For the individual market, insurers have proposed an average rate increase of 17.8%, compared to 8.3% in 2025. Individual rate requests range from a 0.9% decrease to a 28.6% increase.

According to the Insurance Department, carriers have attributed the proposed increases to rising healthcare costs, including the cost of prescription drugs and the increased demand for medical services; and an experience adjustment necessary to reflect deteriorating experience from the prior rating period to the current rating period.

The department said it has scheduled the informational meeting for Monday, Aug. 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Room 1A of the Legislative Office Building in Hartford. It will be held in person and online, with live web streaming available on CT-N.

The informational meeting will begin with presentations from the insurance companies on their rate requests. That will be followed by questions from Insurance Department officials, representatives of other state agencies, executive officers, and elected officials. The meeting will then be open for public comment.

The public may submit questions and comments specific to the rate filings. Those seeking to speak virtually during the meeting via Zoom may register by sending an email to cid.ratefilings@ct.gov with your name and written comments attached by 5 p.m. on Aug. 14.

To speak in person, members of the public may sign up beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 18 at the Legislative Office Building.

For individual on-exchange plans, the requests include:

Anthem Health Plans, which insures 83,790 people, is seeking an average increase of 14.2%, with increases ranging from 6.4% to 22.8%.
CTCare Benefits Inc., which insures 70,160 people, is seeking an average increase of 21.7%, with a range of 4.7% to 26.7%.
ConnectiCare Insurance Co. Inc., which insures 3,685 people, is seeking an average increase of 26.1%, with a range of 5.9% to 28.6%.

For small group on-exchange plans, which serve employers with 50 or fewer employees, Anthem Health Plans, which insures 48,666 people, is seeking an average increase of 13.2% with a range of 7% to 16.6%.

For individual off-exchange plans, CTCare Inc., which insures 738 people, is seeking an average increase of 5.9%, with a range of -0.9% to 6.7%.

For off-exchange small group plans, the requests include:

Oxford Health Plans (CT) Inc., which insures 983 people, is seeking an average increase of 12.8%, with a range of 10.4% to 14.7%.
Oxford Health Insurance Inc., which insures 14,663 people, is seeking an average increase of 12.9%, with a range of 11.6% to 20.4%.
UnitedHealthcare Insurance Co., which insures 1,503 people, is seeking an average increase of 13.1%, with a range of 9.2% to 16.3%.

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