DC Proposes 2026 Health Insurance Rates

DC DISB Newsroom

Published July 2nd, 2025

Detected March 18th, 2026

Summary

The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) has received proposed 2026 health insurance rates from CareFirst, Kaiser, and United Healthcare for review. The public can submit comments on these proposed rates before final determinations are made.

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What changed

The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) has announced the receipt of proposed health insurance rates for the 2026 plan year from major carriers including CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Kaiser, and United Healthcare. These proposed rates cover individual, family, and small business plans and include various average percentage increases across different plan types. The DISB is currently scrutinizing these proposals as part of its transparent rate review process.

Regulated entities and the public are invited to participate in the review process by submitting comments on the proposed rates. A public hearing is scheduled for September, after which the DISB will make a determination on the final rates. This consultation period is critical for stakeholders to voice concerns or provide input on the fairness and pricing of the proposed health insurance benefits for the upcoming plan year.

What to do next

Review proposed 2026 health insurance rates for individual, family, and small business plans.
Submit public comments on proposed rates to [email protected] by the public hearing in September.

Source document (simplified)

Wednesday, July 2, 2025 DC Announces 2026 Proposed Health Insurance Rates

(Washington, DC) – The District of Columbia Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) has received 188 proposed health insurance plan rates for annual review in advance of open enrollment for plan year 2026. The proposed rates were submitted for DC Health Link, the District of Columbia’s health insurance marketplace, from CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, Kaiser and United Healthcare.

The proposed rates are for individuals, families and small businesses for the 2026 plan year. Overall, the number of plans submitted for 2026 is down by 10 from those submitted for 2025. The number of small group plans decreased from 171 to 161 while the number of individual plans remained at 27.

“DISB remains committed to a transparent rate review process and to ensuring that health insurance benefits in the District are fairly priced” said DISB Commissioner Karima M. Woods. “We look forward to hearing from the public and working with stakeholders to ensure that final rates uphold the Bowser Administration’s vision to serve the best interests of our community.”

In the individual market, CareFirst proposed an average increase of 4.1 percent for HMO plans and 12.6 percent for insurance plans. Kaiser proposed an average increase of 12.9 percent. For small group plans, CareFirst filed average rate increases of 10.1 percent for HMO plans and 8.4 percent for the insurance plans. Kaiser proposed an average increase of 10.1 percent. Finally, United Healthcare proposed an average increase of 8.5 percent and 10.1 percent for its two HMOs and 7.8 percent for its insurance plan.

The Department is scrutinizing the proposed rates and will make a determination on final rates after a public hearing in September. Information on the proposed individual and small group rates is available here.

Information on the proposed individual and small group rates is available here.

For additional information on the District's Health Rate Review Process, visit here.

The public can comment on the proposed rates by sending an email to [email protected]

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