In accordance with the provisions of 211 CMR 66.08(3)(e), and in order to ensure that insurance rates are fair to consumers, the Division of Insurance reviews and seeks public comment on the rates requested by health insurance carriers.
The following tables depict the proposed overall weighted average premium increase and the key assumptions behind premium development for the merged (individual and small employer) market filed by insurance carriers as part of the Massachusetts Division of Insurance rate review process (for rates effective in 2027). This information is subject to change as the rate review process continues.
The Health Care Access Bureau within the Massachusetts Division of Insurance is currently reviewing these assumptions. This review process will culminate in a final decision in August 2026.
Merged Market Summary for Proposed Rates Effective for 2027
(Washington, DC) – The DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) has received 181 proposed health insurance plan rates for annual review in advance of open enrollment for plan year 2027. The proposed rates were submitted for DC Health Link, the District’s health insurance marketplace, from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Kaiser Permanente, and UnitedHealthcare.
The proposed rates apply to individuals, families and small businesses for the 2027 plan year. The total number of plans submitted decreased from 194 for the 2026 plan year to 181 for the 2027 plan year. Small group plans decreased from 167 to 157, while individual plans decreased from 27 to 24.
Mending Health Notifies Maine Bureau of Insurance that it Will Cease Offering Health Insurance Plans
AUGUSTA, ME – Mending Health, formerly known as Taro Health, has notified the Maine Bureau of Insurance that it will no longer offer health insurance as of January 1, 2027.
Mending Health’s approximately 1,100 members will keep their health plans through the end of their existing plan year.
Individuals/families who obtained Mending coverage through CoverME.gov, or who purchased a plan directly from Mending Health, can select a new plan with another health insurance company during the annual open enrollment period beginning November 1, 2026. New coverage will take effect January 1, 2027.
CONNECTICUT INSURANCE DEPARTMENT RELEASES HEALTH INSURANCE RATE REQUEST FILINGS FOR 2027
The Connecticut Insurance Department (CID) has received rate filings from four health insurers for plans to be offered in the individual and small group markets, both on and off the state-sponsored exchange, Access Health CT . As part of CID’s statutory responsibilities, the CID will conduct a thorough and careful review of each filing to ensure compliance with Connecticut insurance laws and regulations.
The CID’s review process will examine each submission in detail, requiring insurers to provide justifications and supporting evidence for their requested rates. All filings are available on the CID’s website .
The past couple of weeks have been pretty brutal for the Oregon health insurance market.
On May 21st, Providence Health Plan announced that they were shutting down pretty much their entire insurance division across Oregon (which also impacts some people in Washington and California):
Providence Health & Services plans to exit most of its Oregon health insurance business next year, citing rising costs, tougher regulation and intensifying competition from national insurers — a move that will force hundreds of thousands of Oregonians to find new coverage.
...Providence Health Plan, based in Portland, is Oregon’s third-largest health insurer, covering more than 421,000 Oregonians. It also covers over 13,000 members in Washington and 4,800 in California.
As I and many others have been warning about for the past year or so, the upcoming so-called "work requirements" (aka "paperwork hell" requirements) of last year's Big Ugly Bill are ramping up in January...and in fact have already begun in Nebraska. A few days ago the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published their "final rule" with the reporting and exemption regulations which every state which has expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will be required to follow...and, as expected, it's likely to be a disaster.
Advocates for people with serious illnesses, like cancer and HIV, say the strict Medicaid work rules that the Trump administration released this week are likely to put ongoing treatments in jeopardy.
