Health insurance may obtain Much more expensive in Minnesota next year.
The four largest carriers in the individual health insurance market are looking for a two -digit percentage increase in the rate for 2026, according to Preliminary figures published Tuesday by the Minnesota Ministry of Commerce.
On the surface, the jumps would be Limited to a relatively small tranche of the state health insurance landscape – the market where people who have no coverage depending on work and are not eligible for social benefits or medicaid, including through “Obamacare” exchanges.
However, these individual market rates often serve as ringing prices on the broader health insurance market, where care costs have increased rapidly.
Trade has announced that the average increases offered by Medica (+ 26%), Blue Cross and Blue Shield from Minnesota (+ 16.6%), Ucare (+14.8) and Healthparters (+ 12.1 to+ 14.5%).
“These are the largest rate increases we have seen on average since 2017,” said Julia Dreier, assistant insurance commissioner in the trade department, in an interview. “Health insurance companies assume that the risk pool will be more sick, on average, than in the past.”
The annual release of trade department rates also covers health plans for small businesses, where the largest insurers on the market are looking for average increases ranging from 9% to 17%.
A key factor causing increases in health insurance costs is the higher cost of drugs, said Lucas Nesse, Director General of Minnesota Council of Health Plans, a commercial group for non -profit health insurers.