Small business
Your small group renewal letter
Figures on this page checked . Small group rates and rules reset every year — if you are reading this long after that date, call and we will tell you what moved.
When does a small group renewal arrive?
Typically two to three months before your plan’s anniversary, from the carrier or from your current broker. A January 1 group usually sees its renewal in October or early November.
Start then. Comparing carriers takes a census, quotes and a decision, and a new carrier wants the paperwork before the month the plan begins. A couple of weeks before the deadline is enough time to renew what you have and not much else.
How do you read the increase?
Compare it with the state’s average first. For 2027 the Colorado Division of Insurance approved an average small group change of 14% statewide, and the averages for Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties are in the table below.
Your own number differs from the average for three reasons:
- Everybody is a year older. Each person’s rate is set by age, so a group with nobody joining or leaving still rises.
- Your people changed. New hires and departures change the ages on the bill.
- Your plan and carrier. The average covers every plan, and any one plan can move more or less.
A renewal well above your county’s average is the clearest sign to shop. One close to it may still have a cheaper plan beside it at the same carrier.
What did Colorado approve for 2027, by county?
| Where | Average change |
|---|---|
| Boulder County (pricing region 1) | 15.2% |
| Larimer County (pricing region 4) | 10.8% |
| Weld County (pricing region 6) | 11.4% |
| Colorado, statewide | 14% |
Colorado Division of Insurance, final approved 2027 rates. Averages across every small group plan in the area; your group's change depends on its ages and its plan. Checked October 11, 2026.
What should you send us?
Three documents, and we can quote from them:
- The renewal letter, with the plans and new rates.
- A current bill, which shows who is enrolled and in which plan.
- A census, the list of employees with the few details a carrier prices on. What a census needs, and how to send one securely.
Upload all three on the census page, one at a time (a PDF is fine), or bring them to the call. Please don’t email them. Sending them doesn’t commit you to anything.
What can you change at renewal?
Almost everything, and most groups change at least one of these:
- Change plans at the same carrier, often to one with a higher deductible and a lower premium.
- Add a plan, so employees choose between a richer and a leaner one and pay the difference.
- Move carriers, if another one quotes lower for the network your people use.
- Adjust your contribution, as a percentage or a flat amount.
- Add dental or vision, which costs far less than medical and is often the benefit employees notice most.
Or move to an allowance instead of a group plan. Group plan, CHOICE (ICHRA), QSEHRA or a stipend compares them.
How do you switch brokers?
With a signed letter to your carrier, called a broker of record letter, naming your new broker. You don’t change your plan, your renewal date or anything your employees see.
Employees keep the same plan, the same cards and the same premium. What changes is who you call when a claim goes wrong or the next renewal arrives. If you have dental or another line with a second carrier, that carrier gets its own letter. How a broker of record letter works.
What does a broker cost the employer?
Nothing on a separate bill. The carrier pays us a commission, and you don’t pay us a fee for quoting, enrolling or helping through the year.
Before you hire us, we tell you in writing what we expect to be paid for your plan. You should expect the same from any broker.
Questions about renewals
How early should I start before my renewal?
When the renewal letter arrives, typically two to three months before the anniversary. That leaves time for a census, quotes from each carrier and a decision before the new carrier's paperwork deadline.
Is my increase normal for 2027?
Compare it with the Colorado Division of Insurance's approved small group average of 14% statewide, and with your county's: Boulder 15.2%, Larimer 10.8%, Weld 11.4%. Your group's change also reflects everybody being a year older, so it can sit above the average without anything being wrong.
Can I switch brokers without changing carriers?
Yes. A broker of record letter changes who represents you with the carrier and nothing else. Your plan, rates and employees' cards stay the same.
Can I change carriers in the middle of the year?
Yes, though most groups wait for renewal so the deductibles employees have already met don't reset partway through the year.
Do I pay more for using a broker?
You don't pay us a fee. The carrier pays our commission, and we tell you in writing what we expect to be paid before you hire us.
What do you need from me to quote?
Your renewal letter, a current bill and a census of your employees. None of it asks for Social Security numbers.