As health insurance consumers in Michigan start to learn about double-digit premium hikes on the horizon in 2026, hospital executives like Henry Ford Health President and CEO Bob Riney and Chief Financial Officer Robin Damschroder find themselves on the defensive about what's driving up costs.

Health insurers like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan attribute their consecutive annual premium hikes for small group insurance plans — and massive deficits — to medical inflation, which has been two to three times the normal inflation rate in the health care sector in recent years.

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