HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Tony Hwang (R-Fairfield), Ranking Republican leader on the Insurance and Real Estate Committee, issued a strong response today to the Connecticut Insurance Department’s release of proposed 2026 health insurance rate increases, calling the requested double-digit hikes “completely unsustainable for working and middle-class families and small businesses” across the state.
The average requested increase for plans on Connecticut’s individual market is 17.8%, while the small group market sees an average proposed hike of 13.1%. In total, these rate filings affect approximately 224,000 policyholders—including 158,000 individuals.
Requested 2026 Rate Increases by Market:
Individual Market:
- Anthem: 14.2% (83,790 enrollees)
- CBI: 21.7% (70,160 enrollees)
- CTCare Insurance Co.: 26.1% (3,685 enrollees)
- CTCare Inc.: 5.9% (738 enrollees)
Small Group Market:
- Anthem: 13.2% (48,666 enrollees)
- Oxford HMO: 12.8% (983 enrollees)
- Oxford Insurance Co.: 12.9% (14,663 enrollees)
- UnitedHealthcare: 13.1% (1,503 enrollees)
These increases could swell even more by 3.5 - 6.8% depending on actions taken by the federal government.
“These proposed increases are unaffordable and unacceptable but not surprising,” said Senator Hwang. “They represent repeated crushing financial burden on Connecticut families—many of whom are already stretched thin.”
Senator Hwang, a longtime advocate for healthcare affordability and accountability, emphasized that federal uncertainty only compounds the problem. “If enhanced federal ACA subsidies are not extended, rates on the individual market could skyrocket further—or insurers may exit the state altogether,” he noted. “Additionally, cost-sharing subsidies are on the federal budget chopping block, which would add even more financial pressure on families.”
Federal ACA subsidies and cost-sharing funding, both designed to lower healthcare costs, differ in their application. Premium tax credits, a type of ACA subsidy, reduce the monthly insurance premium cost, while cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) lower out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copayments.
“These increases cannot go unchecked,” Hwang concluded. “Now more than ever, we must fight for transparency, fairness, and real accountability for Connecticut’s healthcare consumers.”
In the face of these challenges, Senator Hwang pointed to legislative reforms that offer a path forward.
Senator Hwang worked closely with the Governor’s office to advance cost saving measures this year, and despite not receiving final passage, he advocated and voted for the following key legislative proposals to help lower health care cost:
- House Bill 6870 An Act Addressing Patients’ Prescription Drug Costs, encourages lower cost by seeking pricing and business transparency.
- Senate Bill 1253 An Act Reducing Insurance Rate Premium Requests, encourages participation in benchmark data collection and transparency from Insurers during rate increase review.
- House Bill 6871 An Act Limiting Out-of-Network Health Care Costs, an effort to cap out of network charges for hospitals and medical providers.
As the lone Republican leader to support all three of these measures in the Insurance Committee, Senator Hwang remains committed to effective methods of lowering costs for consumers.