2027 Individual plans. Washington's 2027 individual market will bring rate increases, carrier exits and expansions, and changing county coverage. Review the key developments - including how Silver loading may make some Gold plans less expensive than Silver after subsidies - and why shopping across carriers and metal levels will be essential. The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) released approved 2027 rates for 12 of the 13 individual carriers who will offer options in Washington state in 2027. The Benefits Academy is still waiting to see the final approval for Asuris NW, and Providence Health Plan will no longer be offering coverage as of January 1st. While requested increases ranged from 8.6% to 27.8%, the final approvals fall between 6.8% and 30.5%. This article provides an overview of the 2027 individual market. To review its 2027 Individual Rate Tracking spreadsheet, County coverage table, Second-Lowest Cost Silver Plan comparison, and Plan Subsidy Analysis, log in (account license required) HERE and scroll down to the Broker Resource Library. Carriers Approved Of the 12 individual carriers that have been approved, all but one will have a double-digit increase. Regence BlueShield, offered in 18 of the 39 Washington counties, is the only carrier offering a single-digit increase at 6.8%. BridgeSpan, Kaiser NW, Kaiser WA, Regence BCBS, and Wellpoint renewals are in the 10% to 20% increase range. Those with increases over 20% include Community Health Plan of Washington, Coordinated Care, LifeWise, Molina, Premera, and UnitedHealthcare. Changes to County Coverage In 2027, The Benefits Academy will see one carrier exit the individual market in Washington (Providence), which currently serves Benton, Clark, Franklin, Spokane, Thurston, and Walla Walla counties. This will affect roughly 300 current customers. Options will remain for these individuals: Benton County will have 8 carriers offering benefit plans, Clark County will have 6, Franklin County 7, Spokane County 9, Thurston County 9, and Walla Walla County 8. Two carriers, Coordinated Care/Ambetter and LifeWise, will be eliminating coverage in some counties. Coordinated Care/Ambetter is eliminating five counties (Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, and Okanogan). LifeWise is more concerning because it is removing its plans from King County. Three other carriers will be expanding their county lists. Community Health Plan of Washington will be adding San Juan County, Wellpoint will be adding Snohomish and Thurston counties, and Premera Blue Cross will be adding a whopping 15 counties (Adams, Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Kittitas, Lewis, Pend Oreille, San Juan, Snohomish, Stevens, Walla Walla, and Whitman). County Offerings All counties continue to have at least 3 carriers offering individual medical coverage as The Benefits Academy head into 2027. King, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, and Thurston counties will continue to have the most carriers available, with 9 each. Comparing 2027 to Past Years For the third consecutive year, at least one Washington individual carrier has received an average rate increase exceeding 20%. When comparing each carrier's 2027 average rates to its 2024 average rates, the cumulative increases are striking. Six carriers have experienced increases of more than 50% over just three years: * 112% United Healthcare * 74% Coordinated Care/Ambetter * 73% Community Health Plan of Washington * 70% Regence BlueShield of Oregon (serving Clark County) * 69% Molina * 63% Premera Blue Cross UnitedHealthcare stands out, with its average individual rates more than doubling over the three-year period. Silver Loading For 2026, Washington required a uniform cost-sharing reduction (CSR) silver-load adjustment on Silver qualified health plans sold through the Exchange. This increased Silver premiums relative to other metal levels and, in turn, increased the Federal Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC) available to eligible enrollees as the enhanced COVID-era subsidies expired. Because APTC is based on the second-lowest-cost Silver plan SLCSP but can be applied to other Exchange plans, the result can make Gold coverage surprisingly inexpensive. For 2027, approved rate increases are generally similar across the metal levels offered by each carrier - there is no Silver-loading mandate with this coming year. But because the Silver-load adjustment is already embedded in the 2026 Silver premiums, comparable increases for 2027 preserve much of that pricing relationship. As a result, Silver loading continues to affect 2027 premiums and subsidies. Let's look at an example of a 40-year-old purchasing coverage in King County whose ACA household income is 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. For 2027: * The 2027 SLCSP would be $757.44, and the Federal APTC would be $349.66. * The lowest-cost Silver plan would be $378.43 after applying the subsidy. * The lowest-cost Gold plan would be $253.52 after applying the subsidy. Although a Gold plan has a higher coverage actuarial value than a standard Silver plan (approximately 80% versus 70%), the lowest-cost Gold plan in this example has a lower net premium after the APTC. This is one of the effects of Silver loading. The Bottom Line For yet another year, Washington consumers will face a higher-priced and changing individual medical market. With 23 of Washington's 39 counties seeing carriers enter or exit the market, simply renewing existing coverage may not be the best option. And because Silver loading continues to affect 2027 premiums and Federal subsidies, consumers should not assume that choosing a Silver-level plan will save them money. In some cases, a Gold plan may actually cost less than a Silver plan after the Federal APTC is applied. For agents, the message for 2027 is clear: shop the market. Compare available carriers, networks, benefits, and - most importantly - the net premium after subsidies across all metal levels before recommending a plan.

Premera Blue Cross, which is headquartered in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, launched its matchmaker for behavioral health program in 2023 to reduce barriers for people experiencing mental health conditions and substance abuse disorders.