Is your renewal normal?
Enter what you pay today and what the carrier is asking for next year. You get the increase per enrolled employee, how it compares with a market yardstick, and the five questions we would put to your carrier before you sign anything.
Your Renewal
Example Figures
What It Says
Five Questions to Put to Your Carrier
- How much of this increase is medical and pharmacy trend, and how much is our own claims experience?
- What census, ages and ZIP codes did you price, and do they match ours?
- What credibility did you give our experience, and what pooled rate was it blended with?
- What would the rate be with no change in plan design, and with the three lowest-cost design changes?
- Is there a rate lock, a re-rate offer, or a later effective date available?
This is a screening tool, not a quote. Figures shown are examples; replace them with your own.
Three steps turn two premiums into a verdict.
The arithmetic is simple on purpose, so you can check it against your own renewal letter.
Per Enrolled Employee
A renewal can rise because rates rose or because more people enrolled. Dividing each premium by its enrollment count removes headcount from the comparison, so the number you see is the change in what each covered employee costs.
The Yardstick
The default is about 10%, the average of 2027 small-group rate filings with the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Those filings apply to groups of 50 or fewer, so above that size treat the figure as a rough benchmark. You can type in any other number.
The Verdict Bands
Within two points of the yardstick reads as normal. Two to six points above is worth a market check. More than six is a reason to hold off signing. These are CFH screening bands, not carrier or regulatory thresholds.
A percentage tells you how big the increase is, not why.
These are the questions the number cannot answer, and the ones that decide what you do next.
Why It Went Up
Trend, your own claims and who joined or left all feed a renewal. One percentage cannot separate them. That split is the first thing to ask the carrier for.
Whether the Plan Changed
A higher deductible or a narrower network makes the same increase buy less coverage. The tool flags the change you tell it about but cannot read your plan documents.
What the Market Would Charge
A yardstick is not a quote. Only a market check, restated on the same enrolled count, shows what other carriers would charge for the same coverage.
What employers ask about a renewal increase.
How much of a renewal increase is normal?
It depends on size. For groups of 50 or fewer, carriers file their rates with the state, and the 2027 filings average close to 10%. Larger groups are priced partly on their own claims, so the number can sit well above or below that.
Why does my bill differ from the carrier’s headline number?
Carriers often quote a blended rate change. Your increase depends on your census, your tier mix and your plan, so the headline and your bill can differ. Ask for the rate exhibit that shows how your group was priced.
When should I ask for a market check?
As soon as the renewal arrives. Most January 1 renewals land in October or November, with open enrollment weeks away, and the earlier the work starts the more options remain.
What do I send for a review?
Four documents: the renewal letter, your current plan summary, the contribution split by tier and the enrolled counts by tier. Groups of 50 or more send two more. Nothing else; every extra one is a reason to postpone.
Send us your renewal.
We’ll tell you whether it looks competitive, where we see opportunity, and the five questions we’d put to your carrier. No cost, and no obligation to move anything.
The renewal letter
Your current plan summary
Contribution split by tier
Enrolled counts by tier
Four documents — two more if your group is 50 or more. Nothing else; every extra one is a reason to postpone.
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
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