Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney confirmed UnitedHealthcare will offer short-term, limited-duration insurance through the Mississippi Comprehensive Health Insurance Risk Pool Association, with a projected start date in 2027.
The short-term plans will run for a maximum of 364 days, Mr. Chaney told Becker’s. These plans are not ACA compliant, meaning they do not offer the same protections as individual health insurance coverage.
Mr. Chaney positioned the short-term plans as a solution to affordability concerns. For example, he said students coming out of school can face coverage gaps.
“If you’re relatively healthy, it covers any major health problem you may have,” he said.
Mr. Chaney said the state’s ACA enrollment declined from 338,000 in 2025, looking at cumulative open enrollment period selections, to 126,000 in August 2026. This drop came amid the expiration of enhanced premium subsidies at the end of 2025. ACA marketplace insurers have proposed a 15% median premium increase for 2027, a Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker analysis found.
Mr. Chaney said his team is currently in talks with two other carriers beyond UnitedHealthcare, including Allstate.
In 2024, Mississippi lawmakers passed legislation to exempt nonprofit agricultural membership organizations from insurance regulation. Mr. Chaney said the state’s Farm Bureau’s plans, similar to the short-term ones that will be offered in 2027, have seen “pretty good” uptake.
“Some of the ACA marketers are not happy that we’re going to do this, but we’re trying to offer the consumer something that’s affordable, so they can at least get healthcare,” Mr. Chaney said.
Established in 1991, the Mississippi Comprehensive Health Insurance Risk Pool Association has historically been used to offer coverage to those with pre-existing health conditions.
At the Becker's 5th Annual Fall Payer Issues Roundtable, taking place November 2–3 in Chicago, payer executives and healthcare leaders will come together to discuss value-based care, regulatory changes, cost management strategies and innovations shaping the future of payer-provider collaboration. Apply for complimentary registration now.
