Small Business Health Premium Rates in New England

The annual single premium (i.e. employee-only) rate for health insurance coverage for small businesses (with fewer than 50 employees) in New England typically run higher than national average rates for similarly sized businesses. In comparison to national average rates, the smallest firms, with fewer than 10 employees, in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island are subject to particularly high annual premium rates for employee-only health plan coverage.  2019 data from the most recent Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a data survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, reveals the following about small business employee-only health premium rates in New England and nationally:

	All Businesses with	Businesses with	Businesses with
State	under 50 Employees	10 to 24 Employees	under 10 Employees
CT	$7,607	$7,030	$8,294
ME	$6,295	$6,836	$5,914
MA	$8,017	$8,036	$8,643
NH	$7,136	$7,072	$8,070
RI	$7,483	$7,224	$9,466
VT	$6,978	$6,655	$7,502
U.S.	$6,920	$6,892	$7,528

Source:  Medical Expenditure Panel Survey  Table II.C.1 - Average total single premium (in dollars) per enrolled employee at private-sector establishments that offer health insurance by firm size and State: United States, 2019