Commissioner Warns North Dakotans face steep rise in health insurance

North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread. (Photo by Mary Steurer/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread is sounding the alarm on the significant increase to health insurance facing tens of thousands of North Dakotans if the federal government doesn’t renew tax credits by the end of the year.

Unless the federal government takes action, premiums may rise between $378 and $3,735 in 2026, depending on a person’s income level, according to Kaiser Family Foundation data cited by the Insurance and Securities Department.

“In some cases it could be double, triple or even quadruple what you paid last year,” said Godfread, a Republican.

He expects the sharply increasing premiums to affect approximately 30,000 North Dakotans. As many as 10,000 may choose to go uninsured instead, based on third-party analyses Godfread has reviewed.