Fallon Health spokesperson Melissa Randall said the insurer respects the division\u2019s decision and looks forward to \u201ccontinuing our discussions with them as the review process moves forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a not-for-profit community health plan, Fallon Health has worked to limit premium increases, filing the lowest average premium increases for its Health Connector product in the market from 2024 through 2026,\u201d Randall said. \u201cConsistent with our mission, we remain focused on balancing affordability and long-term sustainability so we can continue serving our members and supporting the communities that depend on us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Healey said the division\u2019s negotiation efforts will save residents and businesses roughly $72 million in planned premium increases in 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cMassachusetts residents and businesses are already struggling with the high cost of health care,\u201d the governor said. \u201cNobody can afford massive increases in their health insurance premiums on top of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the double-digit premium increases underscore the ongoing health care affordability crisis, with residents increasingly unable to afford care that\u2019s exacerbated by high-deductible health plans. Healey\u2019s prized Health Care Affordability Work Group<\/a> has yet to publish recommendations that were expected last month.<\/p>\n Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said the approved rates are \u201cvery disappointing.\u201d The average family plan will now have total premiums that top $50,000, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unaffordable,\u201d Hurst said. \u201cI mean, we continue to have looked the other way on what\u2019s happening to real premium payers in Massachusetts.\u201d<\/p>\n Blue Cross Blue Shield, which has the biggest enrollment at 166,384 members, was approved at a 13.2 percent rate increase. The insurer had proposed a 15.3 percent increase.<\/p>\n The state approved a 7.5 percent rate increase for Tufts Health, which has the second largest enrollment at 160,566 members. Tufts sought an 11.8 percent increase.<\/p>\n Harvard Pilgrim Health Care members will see the smallest premium increase of 6.7 percent, which the insurer proposed and the state didn\u2019t negotiate down.<\/p>\n The approved rates exceed the state cost growth benchmark of 3.6 percent, a mechanism that has failed to meaningfully rein in spending.<\/p>\n