On September 4, State Senator Shelley B. Mayer and 25 of her State Senate colleagues sent a letter to Superintendent Adrienne Harris, New York State Department of Financial Services, to express their strong opposition to United Healthcare’s proposed 18% premium increase on supplemental plans for Medicare. The letter was signed by each of the following State Senators: Jamaal T. Bailey (SD36), Jabari Brisport (SD25) , Samra G. Brouk (SD55 ), Cordell Cleare (SD30), Leroy Comrie (SD14), Patricia Fahy (SD46), Nathlia Fernandez (SD34), Kristen Gonzalez (SD59), Andrew Gounardes (SD26), Pete Harckham (SD40), Michelle Hinchey (SD41), Brad Hoykman-Sigal (SD47), Robert Jackson (SD31), Brian Kavanagh (SD27), Liz Krueger (SD28), John C. Liu (SD16), Zellnor Myrie (SD20), Roxanne Persaud (SD19), Jessica Ramos (SD13), Christopher Ryan (SD50), Julia Salazar (SD18), James Sanders, Jr. (SD10), Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (SD23), James Skoufis (SD42), Sam Sutton (SD22), and Lea Webb (SD42).

“I have heard from seniors and families, who rely on Part B Supplemental Plan specifically, who are concerned they will no longer be able to afford healthcare and medication they need to lead healthy, independent lives,” said Senator Mayer. 

“An 18% premium increase – five times the current inflation rate in New York – is completely unacceptable. New Yorkers are seeing their bills go up – food, housing, healthcare. All the while their social security checks are staying the same. If this proposed increase is approved, New Yorkers will suffer and not receive the healthcare they need and deserve.” 

United Healthcare states this increase is necessary in order to “maintain the financial integrity of these plans” and to offset the increased cost of providing benefits to its members, including the cost for medical services, medicare deductibles, medical equipment and services, and more. If approved, new monthly premium rates will begin January 1, 2026 and will affect 400,000 New Yorkers that hold Standardized or Pre-Standardized Medicare Supplement plans.

“We believe such steep increases are unreasonable and excessive under New York Insurance Law § 3231, and we urge the Superintendent to disapprove or substantially reduce the requested rate hikes. We also note that other insurers across New York have filed for similarly significant hikes, which would compound the burden on seniors and further undermine the affordability of essential coverage,” the Senators said in the letter.

The Department of Financial Services has a duty to all New Yorkers to ensure that rates are not “unreasonable, excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.” The requested 18% increase in all UnitedHealthcare Supplement Plans exceeds inflationary trends and is more than five times the current inflation rate of approximately 3.2% in New York, and more than six times the national average of around 2.7%. 

The letter continued, “Many older New Yorkers already wrestle with the rising cost of housing, utilities, food, and prescription medications. Excessive increases in supplemental coverage could force them into untenable choices—potentially sacrificing care and risking worse health outcomes.

“Our constituents who rely on supplemental Medicare coverage are often seniors on fixed incomes. They carefully budget their Social Security checks and modest retirement savings to cover daily expenses. An abrupt 18% increase by United Healthcare in its supplemental insurance premiums would impose a severe financial hardship that could force many to choose between paying for needed medical coverage and covering other essentials such as food, rent, and heating costs.

“We also point out that supplemental coverage is not a luxury. It is essential to protect older adults from the 20% coinsurance under Medicare Part B, which has no out-of-pocket maximum. Without reasonably priced supplemental coverage, seniors will be exposed to unpredictable and potentially catastrophic medical bills, undermining the very purpose of our state’s commitment to affordable and accessible health care.

“In light of the statutory criteria, this proposed increase appears neither justified nor equitable. We respectfully – but strongly – urge DFS to exercise its authority to deny or substantially reduce this filing, ensuring that premiums remain fair, actuarially sound, and affordable for those who need this protection most,” the Senators concluded in the letter.