Courtney Statement on CT Health Care Insurance Premium Hike

WASHINGTON, D.C. ­- Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) released the following statement after the Connecticut Insurance Department announced that individual market rate premiums will increase by an average of 16.8% in 2026.

"Health insurance is already way too expensive. The Connecticut Insurance Department's announcement demonstrates that President Trump's failure to extend the ACA enhanced subsidies and passage of the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill" has now spiked the cost even higher. This is a totally avoidable hit on patients and families which will undoubtedly result in fewer Connecticut residents having health care coverage," Courtney said. "When H.R. 1 was passed, the warning flags were up, and unfortunately, this decision confirms the predictions of harm that were willfully ignored by the Trump Administration and the Republican majority in Congress. The obvious response to this cost hike, which will be seen across the country, is for Congress to reverse H.R. 1 to protect patients' Medicaid and Affordable Care Act health care coverage and pass the Health Care Affordability Act to make ACA subsidies permanent. But undoing the harm of H.R. 1 would not be enough. It's past time for Congress to act to bring down the high health costs that Americans have faced for years."

BACKGROUND

The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R. 1), which President Trump signed into law in July, cuts Medicaid by nearly $1 trillion and restricts Affordable Care Act enrollment. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, these provisions are expected strip 10 million people of their health care coverage. These provisions have created insurance market instability which the Connecticut Insurance Department cites in its decision to allow increased premiums.

Additionally, H.R. 1 failed to extend Affordable Care Act premium subsidies beyond 2025. According to the Connecticut Insurance Department, the expiration of these subsidies is directly responsible for part of this premium increase. 90% of Access Health CT enrollees pay lower premiums expiring subsides, meaning not only will monthly health costs be higher for all enrollees, fewer families will receive financial assistance that they have relied on for years. Congressman Courtney is a co-sponsor of the Health Care Affordability Act, which would make the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies permanent.

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