Health Insurance Premiums going up…..

[Beeg_Dawg]

A letter I got from from my financial advisor.   The gist of the articles cited is premiums will go up dramatically unless Congress continues to fund a broken system.

The Obamacare Chickens are coming home to roost.  Love how employers get cast as bad guys in the NPR article.  My company provided coverage through Kaiser, and it was pushing $2k/month/employee.  In hindsight, I would have been money ahead to setup HSAs with a high deductible plan.

The current health insurance model is not sustainable, and the only answer dems have is throw more money into a broken system.  Ugh

**Healthcare Cost Increases in 2026

It’s officially spooky season and healthcare cost increases for 2026 are sure to scare. While you’re considering what costume to wear this year (my daughter Amelia is going to be a ladybug!), you may also be pondering what to do about the expected premium increases coming our way in 2026.

Healthcare expenses are expected to jump to the highest they have ever been, impacting people across the board.

A few of the largest factors affecting rising prices include new tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs, new weight loss treatments, and more effective cancer treatments (Aspan, Luhby). Many people are also making better use of mental health services, which increases costs for insurers (Luhby).

TenBridge Partners recently hosted a table for the State of Regional Healthcare presentation organized by the Portland Metro Chamber where we heard from the leaders of Kaiser NW, Providence, and the Portland Clinic.  All echoed the same rising costs associated with delivery of care and how they are adapting and changing their business models in response.

Additionally, some hospitals, doctors’ offices, insurance companies and other health care businesses have merged or consolidated which has lessened competition (Aspan).

Healthcare prices have been increasing for years and putting continued pressure on American households. Although inflation has cooled off in the last couple years, prices are beginning to rise again also due in part to tariffs. For example, last year, the average U.S. employer spent more than $19,000 per employee to provide family coverage while the employee kicked in $6,000 (Aspan). The total average family premium of $25,572 has increased 52% in the past decade (Aspan).

TenBridge Partners provides healthcare for our employees, and likewise the cost to cover a family in 2025 – 2026 is $31,453 per year per family. Incredible premiums and huge expenses.

Next year, employers are predicted to be hit by an increase of 9% or more and are expected to pass on most of the burden to employees (Aspan). Since employers typically consider health care benefits as part of total compensation to employees, many employers will likely spend less on salary or hourly pay increases if they choose to shoulder the burden of healthcare increases (Aspan).

For enrollees in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans on the healthcare marketplace, not only do they face general cost increases, but the end of enhanced federal subsidies is also looming.

These subsidies called premium tax credits (PTCs) help lower the cost of insurance coverage for people who purchase insurance through the ACA marketplace and will expire at the end of the year. Between the H.R.1 Act signed into law this summer and disagreements leading to the government shutdown this fall, Congress has not agreed to extend the subsidies.

If the PTCs expire, the Center for American Progress shows the projected national increase in the average premium for marketplace enrollees will be roughly 136% nationwide (Gee). Though the increases are above 300% for some states. In Oregon and Washington, the expected increase is about 57% and 148% respectively. See the chart included below from the Center for American Progress for estimated cost increases in your state.

For folks on Medicare, Part B premiums are expected to rise 11-12% with a projected increase of $21.50 per month. This would bring the current base premium from $185 a month to $206.50. This would represent the largest year-over-year jump in the program’s history.

Whether you receive healthcare through your employer, the marketplace, or Medicare, be prepared for increases next year.

How is TenBridge proactively responding?

We are currently working through our clients’ financial plans given their specific circumstances to assess the impact of these increases on their overall financial health and will be proactively reaching out to those most affected. If you have any questions about how this may impact your overall plan, give us a call – our door is always open.

We will help you find the clarity to move forward with confidence, and it is always a pleasure to be of service.

In the meantime, we wish you a lovely autumn and happy Halloween.

Citations

Aspan, M. (2025, September 12). Health care costs are soaring. blame insurers, drug companies – and your employer. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/09/12/nx-s1-5534416/health-care-costs-soaring-blame-your-employer

Gee, E. (2025, September 29). Health insurance premium costs will more than double for millions of Americans unless Congress Acts – Center for American Progress. Center for American Progress. https://www.americanprogress.org/article/health-insurance-premium-costs-will-more-than-double-for-millions-of-americans-unless-congress-acts/

Luhby, T. (2025, September 4). Why your health insurance copays, deductibles and premiums will probably surge next year | CNN business. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/04/business/health-insurance-premiums-cost-increase

[Legend]

I provide our folks with a very nice high deductible plan plus an HSA contribution that roughly equals the deductible.

They pay 25% of premiums, I pay 75%.

Our premium increase for 2026?  17%

It’s a broken system, largely because of the misuse of “insurance” to cover things like birth control, childbirth, and testosterone replacement.  Insurance should only be for things you don’t want, like broken limbs or cancer, not for things you consume as a matter of living or vanity.

and don’t get me started on weight loss drugs.  They are amazing.  Don’t get me wrong, but an insurance plan “insuring” a fat person only to turn around and pay for weight loss drugs isn’t insurance, it’s a transfer payment.

my opinion?  Treat healthcare consumption like we treat any other consumption.  Allow people to insure against true risks and provide risk assessed payment plans for everything else.

I’d rather have childless cat ladies paying off their birth control debt in their 60s than to have the government supplying it.

 

____________________________________________________________
Sic transit gloria mundi (so shut up and get back to work)

[Mick]

I provide our folks with a very nice high deductible plan plus an HSA contribution that roughly equals the deductible. They pay 25% of premiums, I pay 75%. Our premium increase for 2026? 17% It’s a broken system, largely because of the misuse of “insurance” to cover things like birth control, childbirth, and testosterone replacement. Insurance should only be for things you don’t want, like broken limbs or cancer, not for things you consume as a matter of living or vanity. and don’t get me started on weight loss drugs.

I agree with everything you say. I have four problems:

1. I’m already paying over $30k annually out of pocket for both me and my wife.
2. We were in great health until age 50, then the health issues snowballed. My wife has something major every 18 months or so. We need medical care.
3. Thirty years ago, we only saw MDs. Fifteen years ago, half of our care was given by non-MDs. Today, it’s rare to see an MD. And we notice, at the edges, the difference in care.
4. The mid-level coverages are phasing out. We get care at Palo Alto Medical Foundation/Sutter Health and have since we were married in 1987. We used Blue Shield/Silver, which BS is eliminating. They’re keeping Gold and Bronze.
5. Mrs. Mick, dear woman, will always choose the more expensive option.

I get it, proactive options shouldn’t be covered by insurance. The births of our sons thirty years ago were $25k each (both at Stanford). The average cost of childbirth in the USA is $18,865. If there are no pregnancy benefits, our already-dwindling childbirth rate will shrink further. And if we don’t pay the fat people to reduce their weights, we’ll pay for it on the back end.

Tough issue. I don’t see it improving.

[Author]

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