Your 2027 renewal letter: what the Larimer and Weld increases mean

If your group health plan renews in 2027, your renewal letter will most likely show a higher premium, and the Division of Insurance has told us roughly how much higher. On September 22, 2026, it published the average approved small-group increases for 2027: 10.8% in the Fort Collins rating area, which is Larimer County, and 11.4% in the Greeley rating area, which is Weld.

Statewide, the average is 14%. Boulder County's rating area came in at 15.2%, so Northern Colorado's two home counties came in below the state as a whole.

Those are averages across every small group in the area, though, and your letter is about one group. It can come in well above them or below them, and it helps to know why before you decide anything.

Why your renewal isn't the average

Small-group premiums in Colorado can be priced on only a few factors, and your group's own claims aren't one of them. A year with a big claim doesn't raise your rate by itself. What does move your number:

• Your people got a year older. Premiums are priced by each enrolled person's age, so the same group costs more each year even if nothing else changes.
• Who's enrolled changed. A new hire, a departure, or an employee adding a spouse changes the bill, and the renewal is priced on whoever's on the plan.
• Your plan and your carrier. The 14% is an average of every carrier's increase across every plan. One plan can go up a lot more than another, even at the same carrier.
• Benefit changes the carrier made. Sometimes a plan renews with a different deductible or copay, which changes what you're buying as well as what it costs.

So the first question we ask about a renewal is whether it's the same plan at a higher price or a different plan under the old name. Both happen.

What you can do at renewal

A small business can change its plan at other times of year, but renewal is when the new prices are in front of you and nothing has to be unwound. Your options usually come down to five:

1. Keep the plan. If the increase is near the average and the plan still works for your people, that can be the right answer.
2. Change plans with the same carrier. A higher deductible or a narrower network can bring the premium back down. It moves cost onto your employees when they use care, so they should know what's changing.
3. Move to another carrier. Three carrier brands sell small-group plans in Colorado. Switching means meeting the new carrier's own enrollment and contribution rules.
4. Change what you pay. You can change how much of the premium the business covers, as long as you stay inside the carrier's contribution rule.
5. Look at something other than a group plan. For some small businesses, a CHOICE arrangement or a QSEHRA costs less to run and gives employees more choice. For others it's worse. It depends on your people's ages and where they live.

When to start

Start when the letter arrives, not the week before the renewal date. Comparing carriers means quotes, and quotes mean a current list of who's enrolled. If you decide to switch, the new carrier wants the application before the month the plan starts.

If your plan renews January 1 and you've been told you don't meet a carrier's participation or contribution rules, the November 15 window matters to you too.

What we'll need from you

The renewal letter itself, your current plan summary, and a list of who's enrolled with their dates of birth and ZIP codes. That's enough for us to compare it against what else is available. Here's what goes on that list and what doesn't.

Our renewal page explains how a review with us works and what it costs you, which is nothing. The carrier pays us, whether you stay or switch. And the 2027 market page has the Division's figures, dated, if you'd like to see them for yourself.

When your letter arrives, tell us about your business and send it along. We'll tell you whether the increase is reasonable for your group, and if it isn't, what we'd change.