Every August, Connecticut’s health insurance companies ask the state for permission to increase the premiums they charge policyholders. These requests carry serious economic consequences for families, small businesses, and anyone buying insurance on their own.
The process that governs those decisions is called rate review. It’s supposed to protect consumers. Unfortunately, too often, it favors insurers and leads to higher costs without better care.
Here’s what rate review is, why it matters, and how you can help push for accountability.
What is Rate Review?
Rate review is the process through which insurance companies ask the Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) to approve changes in the cost of health plans sold on the individual and small group markets. These plans cover people who buy insurance on their own (not through a job or Medicaid) and small businesses that offer coverage to employees.
Each summer, insurers submit proposals to CID explaining how much they want to increase premiums for the upcoming year and why. CID reviews these filings, holds a public hearing, and eventually decides whether to approve, reduce, or reject the requested increases based on statutory criteria.
The review is meant to balance insurer costs with consumer protection. In reality, it often leaves consumers footing the bill without real transparency or accountability.
A Process Built for Insurers, Not People
If you’ve ever tried to read a rate filing, you know it’s not designed for everyday people. These documents are packed with technical language, actuarial models, and vague projections. While the public is allowed to weigh in, hearings are often held during work hours and can feel like a formality.
In the end, CID often grants most or all of what the insurance companies ask for.
This raises big questions: Are these increases justified? Are insurers doing enough to control costs? And what about the people being priced out of coverage altogether?
What This Means for You
Rate hikes aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. They show up in the real world as increased monthly premiums, larger deductibles, and growing out-of-pocket costs. That can mean delayed care, skipped medications, or being forced to choose between paying for health coverage and paying for groceries or rent.
For small businesses, it can mean dropping coverage entirely. For families, it often leads to hard choices and growing anxiety, all while insurers continue to post strong profits.
What Insurers Are Asking For This Year
Here’s a look at how much insurers want to raise rates in Connecticut for 2026:
Individual Market (for people who buy coverage directly):
- Companies are requesting an average increase of 17.8 percent
Small Group Market (for businesses with 50 or fewer employees):
- Companies are requesting an average increase of 13.1 percent
These are average increases. Some specific plans may rise even more. View the specific rate change requested by your insurer here. Once again, insurers are blaming factors like rising medical costs or prescription drug prices, without addressing the broader affordability crisis faced by real people.
This Year, Let’s Change the Story
Too often, the rate review process flies under the radar, but it doesn’t have to. The public can speak up. And when we do, we send a message to both regulators and insurers that these decisions are being watched.
When you sign, you’ll also get reminders to:
- Submit a public comment when the hearing opens
- Attend the hearing or share your story
- Stay informed about how CID rules on this year’s filings
Health insurance should be affordable, transparent, and accountable. Let’s make sure the system works for people, not just for the insurance industry.