July 27, 2026
CommonWealth Beacon recently published an article featuring Keith Ericson, Professor of Markets, Public Policy, and Law, discussing the factors driving rising health insurance premiums in Massachusetts.
Nearly 700,000 residents in the state’s merged insurance market will face an average 10.4 percent premium increase, with annual family plan premiums now exceeding $50,000.
Ericson asked Insurance Commissioner Michael Caljouw whether “changing risk selection” was contributing to the increases. Caljouw agreed that a deteriorating risk pool could put additional pressure on premiums, describing the current moment as an “inflection point” and calling for policy changes to address affordability.
Ericson also commented on the growing use of low-value care, saying, “The use of low-value care by provider organizations suggests that might be a valuable input to our performance improvement plan process.”
The article also examines the departure of small businesses from the merged market and state efforts to address rising health care costs through primary care and prescription drug reforms.
