2 days ago
How Health Insurance Rates Could Rise in Florida in 2026
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Hundreds of thousands of Florida residents could see their health insurance premiums soar by double-digit increases.
Fourteen major insurers, including Molina Healthcare, AmeriHealth Caritas, Centene Venture Company and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, have proposed to increase the premiums for those on Affordable Care Act (ACA)-compliant plans in 2026.
Florida is not the only state where such increases are happening, as these health insurance premium increases are "fairly routine," Kosali Simon, a health economist and associate vice provost for Health Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, told Newsweek.
Simon said that while companies proposing premium increases is not new, the "size of the increases insurers are asking for 2026 is larger than usual."
Last year, the median proposed increase was 7 percent, and for 2026 that number is currently 18 percent, KFF data shows, with some states, like Florida, seeing "especially high" increases, she said.
A spokesperson for Florida Blue told Newsweek it "shares the concerns rising health insurance rates may cause for our members, communities, and other stakeholders."
"The premium increases, which are an industry-wide issue, are a necessary response to federal regulatory changes, including the scheduled expiration of premium tax credits at the end of 2025, as well as the rising cost and utilization of medical care and prescription drugs," they added.
Newsweek reached out to Molina Healthcare, AmeriHealth Caritas, and Centene Venture Company via email for comment.
Why It Matters
The rise in health insurance premiums is being broadly driven by a number of factors, including the increased cost and use of health care services. Inflation also plays a role, as well as the cost of health care, labor and increasing demand for medications like GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which ramp up prescription drug spending.
However, while the increases are not new—insurers have been pushing up the costs of premiums for years—2026 is set to have the largest jump in cost since 2018, KFF data shows.
The larger increase in 2026 is due to the fact that next year, enhanced tax credits are set to expire as President Donald Trump has not chosen to renew them.
This means that out-of-pocket premium costs for ACA marketplace enrollees will increase by more than 75 percent, meaning many healthier enrollees could drop their coverage, which can, in turn, increase the cost of premiums.
File photo: the exterior of the AdventHealth Clermont ER hospital in Clermont, Florida.
File photo: the exterior of the AdventHealth Clermont ER hospital in Clermont, Florida.
Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP
What To Know
Former President Joe Biden brought in temporary subsidies for those using ACA marketplaces and extended them to the end of 2025, helping more people have access to health care coverage.
As the Trump administration has made no move to renew these subsidies, likely because they come at a steep cost to the taxpayer, they are currently set to expire at the end of the year, meaning premium costs for those using ACA marketplaces will soar.
While there is still time for the administration to opt to extend the subsidies, "insurers may not want to take that gamble, and are increasing rates now," Simon said. This is because insurers are likely anticipating who will be buying health insurance.
"The young and healthy may not be as likely to buy, and they help keep the costs for the insurers down, so this 'adverse selection' in insurance markets might be what's behind the premium increase," Simon said.
In Florida, Molina Healthcare has said it wants to increase rates by just over 40 percent in 2026, which was more than any other plan. This would affect more than 90,000 policyholders.
Meanwhile, AmeriHealth Caritas has proposed the second-highest premium increases, at an average price hike of 35 percent, impacting 55,000 policyholders
Impacting more than 1.3 million Americans, Centene Venture Company has requested an increase of just over 18 percent.
Florida Blue has also proposed to increase premium costs by nearly 27 percent, with some members seeing smaller increases, according to the local news outlet Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Therefore, while these increases are happening across the country, compared to other states, "Florida seems particularly hard hit," Simon said.
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for Florida Blue told Newsweek: "To support our members, we are educating them about the changes and providing personalized support – to help them navigate the enrollment process, understand their coverage options, determine if they qualify for financial assistance, and assist them with staying covered. We are dedicated to making high-quality health care more affordable and accessible to everyone."
Mark Pauly, a professor of health care management at Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told Newsweek: "The official government projections are for higher growth in medical spending nationwide, which translates into higher premiums, especially for exchange plans which are not allowed to have a large profit cushion. This high increase is a marked shift in a trend of health spending growth at the same rate as GDP—the share of health spending was the same in 2023 as in 2009."
Pauly added: "The trends we are seeing of high claims growth are nationwide. There will be some variation across states but the trend will be common to all."
Kosali Simon, a health economist and associate vice provost for Health Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, told Newsweek: "For the majority of enrollees, especially those with federal premium tax credits, these price increases won't mean they have to pay more, as government subsidies adjust with benchmark plan prices."
She added, "For those who don't qualify for subsidies, like many small business owners who buy through the exchange but have higher incomes, it's a problem. Those who have to pay more may drop coverage and become uninsured or have to cut back on other spending."
What Happens Next
The proposed increases are for the 2026 calendar year, and many are concerned about the impacts they will have on Americans.
Pauly said higher premiums "will drive the middle income buyers of exchange insurance to take a chance and go uninsured or switch to a job that has health benefits."
