Unaffordable CT: Double Digit Health Insurance Rate Hikes...Again
Get ready for health insurance sticker shock—again. The Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) approved rate hikes for the 2027 plan year, granting average increases of 11.3% for individual plans and 15.1% for small-group policies.
This comes right on the heels of last year's approved hikes (16.8% for individual policies and 11% for small groups). The new rates take effect January 1, 2027 (with open enrollment starting October 23, 2026), directly impacting roughly 220,000 Connecticut residents and small businesses on the Access Health CT exchange.
The Blame Game
While state regulators cut back the initial insurance company requests, leaders on both sides of the aisle are taking aim at who is responsible:
Attorney General William Tong (D): Called the hikes "another whack to Connecticut families" and argued that hospitals, pharmacy benefit managers, and insurers must negotiate cost relief before rate demands are crafted.
Democrats: Point to the expiration of enhanced federal Obamacare subsidies under the Trump administration, hospital consolidation, and the lack of a universal healthcare system as primary drivers forcing state plans to adjust upward. State Comptroller Sean Scanlon (D) noted the rates reflect a broken landscape, stating they "speak to the underlying failure of the system that we have in place right now."
Republicans: Blame the Democratic majority's ongoing expansion of state-mandated coverage requirements, systemic flaws in Obamacare, and state immigration policies for directly inflating middle-class healthcare costs. State Sen. Dr. Jeff Gordon called the increases "unsustainable" and urged voters to send more Republicans to the State Capitol to rein in state coverage mandates.
Between the Lines: Does anyone think giving the government more control of the healthcare system will lead to a better result? Ask any small business or individual facing these out-of-control increases.