Your renewal went up again. Here is what Cincinnati employers can actually compare.
Shopping carriers moves your renewal by a few percent. It does not change the thing that matters most in Hamilton County: which market you are buying from. The gap between those two markets here is $470–$893 per employee per month.
How many employees do you have?
See What My Company Could Save →30-second estimate. No contact info needed.
Why your renewal keeps rising, and why waiting does not help
Small group coverage is community rated. Your renewal reflects the claims experience of the whole small group pool in your area, not only your own workforce, which is why a healthy year for your team does not necessarily produce a flat renewal. Changing carrier within the small group market moves you around inside the same pool.
In Hamilton County the larger question is which market you buy from at all. The table below is the same tier and the same age on both sides, in the same plan year.
| Tier and age | Individual | Small group | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze, age 27 | $292 | $762 | $470 |
| Silver, age 27 | $316 | $838 | $522 |
| Gold, age 27 | $390 | $914 | $524 |
| Bronze, age 50 | $497 | $1,299 | $801 |
| Silver, age 50 | $538 | $1,427 | $890 |
| Gold, age 50 | $665 | $1,558 | $893 |
Plan year 2026, per employee per month, lowest-cost plan on each market. Estimates, not quotes.
What one more renewal cycle costs
At the county difference above, a 50-employee company carries an estimated $282,000–$535,800 of difference across a single additional year, capped by what it actually contributes today. Pricing the alternative costs a census and a conversation.
Worth knowing: Ohio sets premiums by rating area, so this is not a Hamilton-only phenomenon. The same figures apply in Butler, Warren, which means your competitors down the road are looking at the same maths.
Go deeper: what a company your size should pay, the four alternatives compared, or professional services specifically.
Have your renewal reviewed before you sign it
We price both markets for Hamilton County in the same plan year and show you the real number. Free, and if your group renewal wins we say so.
An estimate from county-level market data, not a quote.
Renewal questions Hamilton County employers ask
Why does our Hamilton County group renewal keep going up?
Small group premiums are community rated across the whole small group risk pool in your area, so your renewal reflects that pool's claims experience as much as your own workforce. Shopping carriers moves the number a little. It does not change which market you are buying from, which is where the larger difference sits in Hamilton County.
Should we wait one more renewal cycle before looking at alternatives?
Waiting costs money in a county with this spread. At Hamilton County's plan year 2026 difference of $470–$893 per employee per month, a 50-employee company carries an estimated $282,000–$535,800 of difference over a single additional year, capped by what it currently contributes. That is the cost of finding out twelve months later.
Does switching mean giving our employees worse coverage?
No. Individual-market plans are ACA-compliant major medical coverage with the same essential health benefits, out-of-pocket maximums and pre-existing condition protections as a group plan. What changes is who owns the policy and how it is priced. Networks do differ, which is exactly what the free analysis checks against your employees' actual doctors.
What about the 2027 rates being filed now?
Nothing on this page uses 2027 rates. Every comparison here is plan year 2026 on both sides, because mixing a 2027 group figure against a 2026 individual premium would inflate the gap. When 2027 rates are final for Ohio we will price both markets in that year and republish, rather than pair one year against another.
What does the free renewal review actually involve?
Send your current renewal and your census. We price both markets for Hamilton County in the same plan year and show the real number for your company. If your group renewal is still the better deal, we say so and you keep it.
Actual results depend on your employee census, ages, family composition, plan design and contribution strategy. Figures are illustrative ranges for plan year 2026, the same plan year on both sides of every comparison, from the CMS Marketplace Public Use Files (individual market) and Ideon (small group). Estimates, never quotes or guarantees.
See what your company could save
County-specific 2026 numbers, about 30 seconds, no contact info needed.
How many employees do you have?
See What My Company Could Save →30-second estimate. No contact info needed.