A new study by Greece’s Independent Authority for the Control of the Market and Consumer Protection (AAEAPK) reveals an average 8.2% increase in premiums for long-term health insurance policies across the market. The authority surveyed 11 insurance companies, which collectively reported data on 231,797 active policyholders covered under such plans. Total gross base premiums for 2025—before insurance tax—amount to €295.44 million.
Weighted Averages Reveal Nuanced Picture
When weighted by the number of insured individuals, the average premium increase for 2026 stands at 7.49%. However, when weighted by the actual premium value—i.e., reflecting the financial burden borne by policyholders—the figure rises to 8.20%. According to the AAEAPK, this difference suggests a broad effort by insurers to moderate hikes, though disparities remain significant.
Distribution Highlights Equity Concerns
The data shows that 130,119 policyholders—56.13% of the sample—face increases exceeding 8%, while 36,923 (15.93%) face hikes above 9%. This uneven distribution indicates that while the overall average isn’t extreme, serious issues persist around fairness, transparency, and clear justification of adjustments.
First-Ever Sector-Wide Transparency Initiative
This is the first time such comprehensive, structured data has been gathered on long-term health insurance contracts—broken down by company, plan type, and portfolio. The AAEAPK describes the effort as a major step toward market transparency, establishing a common benchmark for comparison, evidence-based dialogue, and more meaningful public information.
Gaps in Communication and Justification
Despite progress, the analysis uncovered critical shortcomings. In many cases, insurers’ explanations for premium increases fail to clearly separate key drivers: hospital cost inflation, age-related risk shifts, pre-agreed contractual indexation clauses, and other influencing factors. Additionally, notification letters sent to policyholders lack standardization. They often omit—or scatter across multiple documents—the old and new premium amounts, exact percentage increase, effective date, and a plain-language explanation of how the new rate was calculated.
Focusing on Clarity, Not Just Cost
For the AAEAPK, the central question goes beyond the size of the increase: it’s whether the average policyholder can readily understand what’s changing in their own contract, why it’s changing, and what options they have—without needing expert knowledge or digging through fragmented sources. To address concerns, the authority has already requested additional documentation and clarifications from insurers, particularly regarding plans and portfolios showing the steepest increases or notable inconsistencies.