Self-run check

Is your renewal increase in line with published benchmarks?

The Renewal Benchmark Check is a self-run public-data tool anyone can use before engaging. It compares your state, headcount, and renewal increase with published KFF, AHRQ MEPS-IC, and Peterson-KFF figures. It is not part of the plan, and it shares nothing unless you choose to reach out.

Updated Nov 5, 2026. By Matt Ragudo.

Compare a state, a headcount, and the increase on the renewal letter.

Start working with Matt Read the second opinion

Renewal Benchmark Check

A quick check you run yourself. See how your increase compares with public averages. It runs in your browser. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Sources: KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey 2026; AHRQ MEPS Insurance Component, 2024 state tables; Peterson-KFF small group rate tracker.

What the check is, and what it is not

Type a state, a headcount, and the increase on your renewal letter. The page sets that increase next to published national and state averages. Optional monthly premiums, employee-only and family, are compared with the same public tables. Averages mix industries, ages, and plan designs. A gap is a reason to look, not proof of a problem.

The figures that appear are illustrative estimates from those public sources. They are not a quote and they are not your rate.

This check is Step 0 only if you want it. It is not an eighth step. For employers with 100 or more employees, the full engagement, steps 2 to 7, is the Renewal Control Plan. Employers with 50 to 99 employees get the same seven steps without that name.

If you want the plain-English version of a second look, read a second opinion on your health plan renewal. If you want what a normal increase looks like, and what the letter hides, read health insurance renewal increase.

When you want the carrier’s own data and the market quotes, use Start working with Matt. The Plan Report follows a signed broker-of-record letter and the transfer, usually about a month.

Call (808) 358-1477 or email aloha@mattragudo.com.

Questions people ask

What is the Renewal Benchmark Check?

A self-run comparison of your state, headcount, and renewal increase against published employer benchmarks. Anyone can run it before engaging. It is not one of the seven steps, and it is not the Renewal Control Plan.

Does this send my numbers anywhere?

No. It runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent unless you choose to reach out.

Which benchmarks does it use?

The KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, AHRQ MEPS-IC state premium tables, and the Peterson-KFF small-group rate tracker. The sources and years are printed with the check.

Is this the Plan Report?

No. The Plan Report follows a signed broker-of-record letter and the transfer, usually about a month, and it is written from the carrier’s own data. This check uses only public averages.

What if the increase looks high?

Treat the result as a place to look, not a verdict. The next page is the second opinion on a renewal. When you want your own carrier data and market quotes, start working with Matt.

I built and sold a health insurance agency: grew it to 60 agents in about 3 years, then sold it. Licensed insurance agent since 2014: Texas license 2501238, NPN 17369817.

When you want your own carrier data, start here.

The check uses published averages. Your Plan Report is different: it follows a signed broker-of-record letter and the transfer, usually about a month, and it is written from the carrier’s own data. Call (808) 358-1477 or email aloha@mattragudo.com.

Start working with Matt Read the second opinion

Questions first? Email aloha@mattragudo.com or book a 30 minute call.

Sources