The Independent Authority for Market Supervision and Consumer Protection, in response to public concern over increases in health insurance premiums and the need for greater transparency, has completed its first comprehensive analysis of the data submitted by insurance companies regarding the 2026 adjustments to long-term health insurance policies.
According to the relevant announcement, analysis of the data submitted by 11 insurance companies shows that the total sample includes 231,797 policyholders with active long-term health insurance policies and 2025 base net premiums totaling 295.44 million euros, before premium tax.
The average growth rate for 2026, when weighted by the number of policyholders, stands at 7.49%. However, when the weighting is based on the value of premiums—that is, on the net financial burden before the insurance tax—the average stands at 8.20%.
This finding indicates that, overall, there was an effort to contain the increases. At the same time, however, it shows that a simple average is not sufficient to fully reflect the burden on policyholders. The picture must be examined as a whole, taking into account the value of the premiums, the plan, the portfolio, and the distribution of the increases.
Specifically, 130,119 policyholders—that is, 56.13% of the sample—have seen an increase of more than 8%, while 36,923 policyholders—that is, 15.93%—have seen an increase of more than 9%. At the same time, a significant portion of policyholders experienced lower rates of increase, thereby keeping the overall average in check. Consequently, the market does not exhibit an extreme overall average, but it does present clear issues regarding the distribution, documentation, and clear explanation of the increases.
The Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies (AAEA&PK) thanks the insurance companies for their cooperation and for providing detailed data. This is the first time that structured information on long-term health insurance policies has been compiled on such a large scale, broken down by company, plan, and portfolio. This response represents a significant step toward transparency and creates a common basis for comparison, evidence-based dialogue, and more meaningful public information.
However, the analysis also highlighted significant areas in need of improvement. In several cases, the justification for the increases does not sufficiently distinguish between hospital costs, age-related changes, the contractual adjustment terms agreed upon at the time the contract was signed, and other factors affecting the insured person’s final out-of-pocket cost.
Furthermore, the notification letters sent to policyholders do not follow a uniform format and do not always include, within the same document, the old premium, the new premium, the exact percentage increase, the effective date, and a clear explanation of the basis for the calculation.
For the Authority, the issue is not merely how much a premium has increased, but whether the policyholder can understand—without specialized knowledge and without having to search for information from scattered sources—what is changing in their own policy, why it is changing, and what options they have.
In this context, the Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies (AAEA&PK) has already requested supplementary data and additional documentation from insurance companies, particularly regarding plans and portfolios that show higher increases or a significant discrepancy between the increase based on the number of policyholders and the increase based on premium value.
At the same time, the Authority considers it a minimum standard of transparency that the notification to each insured person regarding a premium adjustment must include, in clear and simple language: the old premium, the new premium, the exact percentage increase, the effective date, a distinction between age-based changes and adjustments due to cost or portfolio experience, a link to the public announcement for each insurance product and a clear description of the policyholder’s options.
The Hellenic Association of Insurance Companies and Pension Funds (AAEA&PK) will continue its efforts through coordinated and multifaceted actions. It will request more and more comparable data, conduct in-depth analyses of the factors that determine costs, highlight any unjustified discrepancies, and collaborate with the relevant institutions to ensure that the market operates with greater transparency, better documentation, and more effective protection for policyholders.
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