AUGUSTA – Mainers may be about to see a jump as much as 25% in health insurance rates starting in 2026, fueled by changes by the federal government and rising health care costs.

That was the message during an online public forum Friday, where the Maine Bureau of Insurance laid out what the state’s health insurance carriers were asking to do next year, and why.

“Health insurance rates are rising significantly across the country, and Maine already had some of the highest health insurance costs in the United States,” said Bob Kerry, the bureau’s superintendent.

The discussion centered on six health insurance carriers, including Anthem Health Plans of Maine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and Maine Community Health Options. In all, the carriers covered more than 100,000 Mainers, Kerry said. 

The bureau has posted potential increases on its website. Rates will vary from carrier to carrier, but Kerry noted that on average, premiums for individuals may go up as much as 25%. Small group rates, he said, could increase by as much as 18%.

For example, Kerry said, in Lincoln County, premiums for a family of four could go from $20,000 a year to $24,000.

“Others may see even steeper increases,” he said.

Kerry said one factor is the rising cost of health care, including the costs of “hospitalizations, office visits, labs, pharmaceuticals, and other services.” 

Even those getting insurance through the Affordable Care Act, Kerry said, could end up paying “substantially more” in 2026.

The reason, Kerry said, is that individuals buying insurance under the act are eligible for premium tax credits.

While that won’t change, Kerry said, a “limited-time enhancement” of those credits is set to expire at the end of 2025, and neither congress and the Trump Administration have moved to extend those enhancements.

As an example of what this means, Kerry noted that right now, a family of three with a monthly income of $4,442 pays about $89 a month for insurance under the act. 

Once the changes go into effect in 2026, that same family’s monthly contribution will jump to nearly $300.

Kristine Ossenfort, senior director of government relations for Anthem Health Plans of Maine, based in South Portland, agreed that increases are based on rising health care costs. 

For example, Ossenfort said, Northern Light Health is forecasting a 30% increase in overall health care costs over the next three years, which she said means $218 million in increased costs.

“As you can imagine, adding that type of cost increases premiums,” she said. 

Customers also weighed in during the virtual forum Friday. Megan Black, a nursing student living in Somerset County, called the potential rate increases for Anthem in particular “laughable.”

“Health insurance is the last thing we want to worry about, yet here we are,” she said.

Lindsay Clarke said she was a single mother of two children who is self-employed living in Cumberland County. She said annual premiums for herself and her kids add up to more than $15,000 a year, or 17% of her taxable income, and that’s without medication or specialized care.

“Every year I am left crossing my fingers that we won’t need any substantial care,” she said. 

Carole Fontaine, 57, is self-employed and gets insurance through the Affordable Care Act. She said she is also a cancer survivor, and she is worried about continuing her treatment with increasing health insurance premiums.

“I cannot afford this,” she said. “It’s catastrophic.”

Marty Hooper, life and health actuary for the bureau, said the insurance companies filed their proposed rate increases in June, and have been revising them as the bureau has reviewed the proposals throughout the summer. She said the bureau is expected to approve final increases prior to open enrollment periods.