Tonik Connecticut: When do they raise rates?

By: Mike Solis

Tonik health insurance in Connecticut is underwritten by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut. The company has historically changed rates on the first day of the new year, although it was reported that in 2009 they tried to raise rates for October but were declined.  Here is the process as we understand it:

Tonik Rate Action Process for Connecticut

1) Anthem calculates the amount of claims received for each plan type and compares them to the premium that the charge. Basically they look at how much money came in from members in the form of their monthly bill vs how much had to go out to pay for members medical expenses.

2) Anthem Connecticut makes adjustments to future premium based on the amount of claims by plan (like Tonik) and by age/gender demographic.

3) The company submits their request increases (or decreases which we have seen occasionally in the past) to the Connecticut Department of Insurance.

4) The CT Department of Insurance can either reject or approve insurance price changes.

5) We, Medicoverage, alert you by email as soon as we hear that Tonik prices may be going up. We discuss options, and if necessary, alternative plans.


We have not seen that prices are “locked-in” for a period of time. So if you purchase a plan in December and the price goes up in January, then your plan would go up as well. One trick to see if the Tonik plan you are about to purchase is going to increase in the near future is to request a Tonik quote with a future start date and see if it matches your current price quote.