Michigan health insurance rates for 2027 are going up by about 14.5% on average for individual plans and 10.0% for small group plans. That is ACA Signups' reading of the filings in the state's SERFF database, updated on September 30, 2026 to what appear to be the final approved rates; the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) had not announced them. For a Michigan medical, dental or therapy practice, that matters twice. Patients will switch plans, change networks or drop coverage on January 1. And the practice's own staff plan, if it buys one in the small group market, renews higher.
In short
- Individual plans: about 14.5% average increase for 2027; small group: about 10.0% (ACA Signups, September 30, 2026).
- As filed, 50 of 185 individual plans asked for increases of 15% or more, across 394,649 current enrollees (DIFS, 2026).
- Michigan's marketplace enrollment was down 27% year over year as of February 2026, at least 131,000 fewer people (ACA Signups, 2026).
- Open enrollment runs from November 1; December 15 is the deadline for coverage starting January 1 (HealthCare.gov, 2026).
What the Michigan health insurance rate filings for 2027 show
DIFS publishes each insurer's request. In the individual market the requests averaged 14.2%, with wide spread between carriers. Priority Health, the largest individual carrier with 138,048 current enrollees, asked for 11.1%. Blue Care Network of Michigan, with 113,640, asked for 12.5%, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for 12.9%. Meridian asked for 24.4% and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan for 25.5%.
In the small group market, which covers 403,722 people, the requests averaged 9.6%. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan asked for 7.0%, Blue Care Network for 10.7%, and Priority Health and HAP for 11.6% each.
On September 30, ACA Signups reported that the SERFF database "has been updated with what appear to be the final/approved rate filings," with most approved "pretty much exactly as is," and that the averages now come to "around 14.5%" for individual plans and "10.0%" for small group. Treat those as the best current reading, not a DIFS announcement.
Two caveats from DIFS matter for anyone explaining this to a patient. Rate changes "vary by plan, geographic area, and tobacco status," and people receiving tax credits will see different changes; "The 2027 tax credits will not be known until closer to the beginning of open enrollment on November 1, 2026."
Why it lands on the practice in January
Higher premiums push people to act. Some move to a cheaper plan with a narrower network. Some switch carriers. Some drop coverage. ACA Signups reports that Michigan's effectuated marketplace enrollment was "down 27% year over year as of February," after enhanced federal subsidies expired, which it puts at "at least 131,000 fewer Michiganders enrolled in ACA healthcare coverage this year."
None of that shows up in your schedule until the patient arrives. A patient who was in network in December can be out of network in January with the same card in their wallet, or with a new card they did not bring. January is when claims for coverage that changed over the holidays start coming back denied.
A checklist for the practice
- Update your list of accepted plans now. Confirm which 2027 plans and networks you are in with each carrier you contract with, and correct your website and phone script before November 1, when patients start shopping.
- Ask every patient seen in January for their card again. Do not rely on what is on file from last year. Ask at booking and confirm at check-in, for every patient with individual or small group coverage.
- Re-verify eligibility on the first January visit. Run the check against the new plan, not the old one. A changed plan is how a familiar patient becomes a denied claim.
- Tell patients who ask where to go. Open enrollment starts November 1, and December 15 is the last day to choose a plan for coverage starting January 1 (HealthCare.gov). A patient choosing between plans can check whether you are in network before they choose, which saves both of you a January surprise.
- Plan for patients who drop coverage. Some established patients will become self-pay. Decide now how the front desk will explain your self-pay policy, so the conversation is the same whoever answers the phone.
- Budget for your own staff plan. If the practice buys coverage in the small group market, the average increase is about 10.0%, and DIFS notes that each employee's premium also depends on "the amount the employer contributes to the total premium." Get the renewal quote early and decide the contribution before staff hear about it from someone else.
The mistake most practices make at step 2
They verify only new patients. Established patients are the ones who change plans quietly, and the front desk assumes nothing has changed because the patient has been coming for years. With individual premiums rising about 14.5% and enrollment already down sharply this year, January 2027 is a month to treat every insured patient as possibly new to their plan.
Where we fit
Our healthcare practice systems include intake by text before the visit, with the insurance card photographed and filed, and a phone and text desk that answers "do you take my plan" from the list the office keeps, in the office's words. Neither one checks eligibility or guesses at coverage; the practice's own verification does that. They make sure the new card is in hand before the patient walks in. Patients on Medicare face their own changes this fall, set out in Medicare open enrollment 2027, and patients on the Healthy Michigan Plan face the work requirements. This post summarises published filings; it is not insurance or legal advice.
January starts in November. Get the plan list right before your patients start shopping.
