Nevada health insurance premiums expected to rise 17.5% next year

By April Corbin Girnus, Nevada Current

Nevadans who get medical insurance through Nevada Health Link may see their premiums rise dramatically next calendar year, new data released by the state suggests.

Nevada Health Link, formally known as the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, is the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace. The Nevada Division of Insurance on Thursday announced that carriers offering individual market plans through the exchange have proposed an average premium rate increase of 17.5%.

That is a significantly higher rate hike than recent years. This time last year, the Nevada Division of Insurance announced a proposed average rate increase of 7.11% for 2025.

The proposed rate hikes in Nevada are on track with national expectations. KFF reported that, among the 19 states whose proposed rate changes were available in mid-July, the median for premium increase requests was 15%. Insurers have cited the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits and the impact of tariffs as reasons for the hike, according to KFF.

The enhanced premium tax credits were enacted in 2021 as part of pandemic relief measures, and increased the dollar amount of credit ACA enrollees received while also relaxing eligibility requirements. The enhanced credit was extended under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, but will expire at the end of this year.

Nevada’s 17.5% proposed increase rate only reflects adjustments to plans currently being offered. It does not take into account rates for new plans, such as the Nevada public option plans scheduled to be available this fall for coverage starting next year.

Named Battle Born State Plans, these public-option plans must cover the same essential benefits as other exchange plans but “must meet specific premium reduction targets, meaning more Nevadans may have access to affordable coverage, regardless of income,” according to a Nevada State Health Authority statement that accompanied the announcement about proposed rate hikes.

Nevada’s public option was greenlit during the 2021 Legislative Session through a bill sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro and supported only by Democrats. It was approved by the federal government early this year. Analyses estimated that public option plans could offer plans 15% cheaper than average over the next four years.

It’s not clear whether the new plans will provide any relief for consumers in the upcoming year. The Nevada State Health Authority was not available for comment Thursday.

A spokesperson for the Nevada Division of Insurance on Thursday said they were unable to provide additional information about how the forthcoming public options plans will compare to plans currently on the exchange because rates have not been finalized.

Approved rates for all plans will be available Oct. 1.

In the meantime, the Division of Insurance is inviting consumers to weigh in on proposed rate changes by submitting comments on its website. The website includes proposed rate hikes by carrier.

Open enrollment will begin Nov. 1 for coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2026. The open enrollment period ends Jan. 15, 2026.

For additional information, visit NevadaHealthLink.com.

Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: [email protected].