ACA premiums surge, prescription savings matter more than ever

Across the Midwest, employers are bracing for one of the steepest ACA premium spikes in years. Small-group rates in states like Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Ohio are expected to rise 15–30%, heading into 2026. For business owners already navigating higher wages, tighter margins, and an unpredictable economy, these increases feel impossible to absorb.

Yet dropping coverage isn’t an option. Health benefits remain one of the most powerful levers for recruiting, retention, and long-term workforce stability. Families depend on them. Employers compete using them. Losing access simply isn’t realistic. That leaves companies and households asking a familiar question with renewed urgency: If premiums are rising, where can we still save?

The answer sits within a category that often escapes the headline conversations about healthcare inflation yet quietly drains more wallets every year: prescription spending.

And that’s exactly where CompareMedsRx steps in.

Why do ACA premiums keep rising?

Premium increases are not random, they reflect structural pressure in the healthcare system:

1. Medical inflation is outpacing all other sectors

Hospitals, clinics, and care providers are paying 15–20% more for staff and supplies than before COVID. Those costs go straight to insurers, and eventually, to employers and families.

2. Higher utilization = higher claims

Patients across the Midwest are catching up on delayed visits, surgeries, and preventive care from the pandemic years. More claims per person means higher premiums.

3. Limited carrier competition

In many Midwestern states, only a few carriers dominate the ACA small-group market. With less competition, rates trend upward with little resistance.

4. Community rating punishes low-risk groups

Even if your team is young and healthy, you may still face big increases because your premium is tied to regional risk, not your own company’s health history. But employers cannot control premium formulas or insurer inflation. They can control how much they spend on prescriptions.

Where CMRX changes the game?

For many employers, prescription spending is one of the fastest-growing pieces of the healthcare budget. Brand medications, GLP-1s, chronic-care drugs, and specialty medications have seen major price spikes — and employees feel it too.

CMRX offers a simple, high-impact solution:

Free access

No fees, no subscriptions. Anyone can use it — employers, employees, families, seniors, and even pets.

Lower pricing on thousands of medications

Users can compare pharmacy prices instantly and find real savings, sometimes cutting costs by 60–80% compared to cash prices.

Works with or without insurance

• Employees who have high deductibles can save them before they meet it.
• Employees without coverage can access affordable meds.
• Employers reduce overall claims costs indirectly by lowering pharmacy-spend pressure.

Real impact: Even small savings scale fast

Let’s take a simple example.

A Midwest company with 50 employees sees an ACA renewal increase of 22%. They can’t change how premiums are calculated, but they can reduce the strain elsewhere.

If even 20 employees save $50 per month using CompareMedsRx, that’s:

• $1,000 saved each month
• $12,000 saved each year
• Reductions in out-of-pocket costs
• Happier teams who don’t have to choose between health and affordability

Multiply across chronic users, families, aging workforces, or employees needing GLP-1 medications, and the numbers grow dramatically.

The Midwest is feeling the squeeze most and CMRX helps relieve it

Midwest businesses are unique:

• Many are small to midsized manufacturers, contractors, and service firms.
• The margins are tight.
• Employee loyalty matters deeply.
• Dropping coverage or passing big costs to workers goes against local culture.

Prescription savings give employers an alternative pressure valve — one that doesn’t sacrifice care quality or morale.

To put in a nutshell,

Analysts project 8–10% more increases in 2027, driven by medical inflation, ageing workers, and high-cost biologics. Employers and families who act now are better prepared. By giving employees and families real choice, real transparency, and real savings, you protect your people, your margins, and your long-term stability.

Start comparing prices at CompareMedsRx.com and see how much you can save today.