SENATE PRESIDENT MARTIN LOONEY COMMENT ON INSURANCE DEPARTMENT RATE HIKES FOR 220,000 CONNECTICUT RESIDENTS

Senate President Martin Looney (D-New Haven) issued the following statement today in response to the Connecticut Insurance Department announcing on Friday, September 11, 2026, its final rate decisions for 2027 that affect 220,000 Connecticut residents who are insured on the Access Health CT health insurance exchange. Following extensive actuarial analysis, the Department approved an average increase of 11.3% in the individual market and 15.1% in the small group market, compared with initial insurance company requests of 16.2% and 17.8%, respectively.

“Despite granting smaller increases than requested, the rates approved by the Insurance Department are still too high, and part of that has to do with Donald Trump and Republicans ending health insurance subsidies for so many Connecticut residents. The Insurance Department even says so in its rationale for the rate hikes: the expiration of enhanced federal subsidies in the individual market is going to lead to ‘increased morbidity’ in Connecticut, and the consumer marketplace for these policies is going to shrink as some of the 220,000 healthier members in Access Health Connecticut are going to drop their coverage because it’s getting too expensive. Thankfully, Democrats and Governor Lamont stepped in late last year and provided some premium assistance that hopefully has made a difference for some people. But it’s not the complete answer.

“Earlier this month, I submitted testimony before the Insurance Department and said I share the public’s frustration with the insurance companies’ performance because they’re yet again requesting another double-digit rate increase that vastly exceeds standard inflation rates as well as Connecticut’s own benchmark target. It’s unclear to me why these insurance companies can’t do a better job of negotiating rates. The insurers, the hospitals, and the pharmacy benefit managers all point at each other for the premium rate increases, but they take no responsibility themselves.

“I do know that the so-called Association Health Plans that some people keep talking about are not the answer and merely act as a red herring in the debate on reforming health care in America. They are not even technically insurance plans. My main concern is that they do not offer all of the consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act, and that one employee with high health care costs, such as undergoing chemotherapy, could drive up premiums for the employer’s entire plan. This could create an incentive for employers to not hire — or fire — high-cost employees, driving them back into the open market and into Access Health CT.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lawrence Cook | lawrence.cook@cga.ct.gov | 860-604-9279