Updated September 16, 2026
An Ohio small business owner called me today with a question about her health insurance.
Her company is currently enrolled in the Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program, the MEWA sponsored by the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and currently administered by UnitedHealthcare.
She had received information indicating that her current arrangement was changing for 2027.
Her understandable reaction was essentially: Is my health plan going away?
The answer appears to be more complicated.
Based on the public information available as of September 16, 2026, the Ohio Chamber appears to intend for the Health Benefit Program to continue into 2027 rather than simply shut down. What is changing is the relationship between the Ohio Chamber program and UnitedHealthcare.
And because that situation is still developing, employers currently enrolled in the program may want to start preparing for their January 1 renewal earlier rather than later.
What We Know Right Now
The Ohio Chamber’s own website continues to describe the Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program as a self-funded multiple employer welfare arrangement, or MEWA, for Ohio employers with 2 to 50 eligible employees.
The Chamber is the program sponsor, while the Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program Trust provides the benefits. UnitedHealthcare currently provides claims administration and stop-loss protection.
A dispute between the Ohio Chamber and UnitedHealthcare became public on September 1, 2026, when the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and the Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program Trust filed a federal lawsuit against United HealthCare Services, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
According to the Chamber’s complaint, UnitedHealthcare notified the Chamber in May that it intended to end the relationship at the end of 2026. The Chamber says it subsequently selected another administrator and requested claims, enrollment, underwriting and other information that it says it needs to develop its 2027 offering. The Chamber and UnitedHealthcare are now litigating several issues surrounding that transition.
On September 1, the court granted in part and denied in part the Chamber’s request for a temporary restraining order. The litigation concerns disputed allegations, and the court’s interim order should not be read as a final determination of the merits.
Separately, the Columbus Bar Association has published a notice from its insurance partner stating that Medical Mutual will become the administrator for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce MEWA.
As of this writing, however, we have not located a public announcement on either the Ohio Chamber or Medical Mutual website providing complete details about the 2027 program.
That distinction is important.
The Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program and UnitedHealthcare Are Not the Same Thing
It would be easy for an employer to hear that UnitedHealthcare’s relationship with the program is changing and conclude that the Ohio Chamber MEWA itself is disappearing.
Those are two different things.
The Ohio Chamber is the sponsor of the MEWA. UnitedHealthcare currently performs important functions for the program, including claims administration and stop-loss protection.
The publicly available information appears to indicate that the Chamber intends for the program to continue with a different administrator.
What we do not yet know from publicly available primary-source information is exactly what the final 2027 offering will look like.
Among the questions employers may reasonably want answered are:
- What health plan designs will be available?
- What will the 2027 rates look like?
- What provider network will be used?
- How will prescription drug coverage work?
- Will current employers need to complete new enrollment or underwriting information?
- How will employees currently receiving treatment be affected by any network or administrative changes?
- When will employers and brokers receive final 2027 renewal information?
Those answers may become clearer quickly. This is a developing situation.
So What Should an Employer Do Now?
I would not recommend making a health insurance decision based simply on headlines or on uncertainty surrounding the litigation.
I also would not recommend ignoring it until December.
January 1 is one of the busiest renewal dates of the year for the small-group health insurance market. Carriers, brokers, employers and enrollment systems are all handling significant volume at the same time.
If you are currently enrolled in the Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program, this may be a particularly good year to get ahead of the renewal process.
That does not necessarily mean leaving the Chamber program.
It means being prepared.
One practical step is to update the health information your broker would need to review medically underwritten alternatives. If your company already uses FormFire or another electronic prescreening system, much of the information may already be there and simply need to be updated.
Completing a prescreen does not, by itself, commit an employer to changing plans.
It simply makes it possible to see what other options may be available and what they cost.
Depending on the employer, those alternatives could include another Ohio MEWA, a level-funded plan, an ACA small-group plan where available, or a different approach such as an Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement, or ICHRA.
Once the 2027 Ohio Chamber renewal is available, the employer can compare it with the alternatives.
The Chamber program may still be the best choice.
If it is, great.
But if the 2027 rates, network, benefits or timing create a reason to move, the employer will already know what the other choices look like rather than beginning the process at the last minute.
Preparation Is Different From Panic
There is a tendency in health insurance to wait for the renewal and then react to whatever arrives.
Most years, I think there is a better approach.
This year, employers participating in the Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program have an additional reason to start early.
There is a significant administrative transition underway. There is pending litigation between the Chamber and UnitedHealthcare. And some details of the 2027 program have not yet been publicly announced.
None of those facts means an employer should assume something will go wrong.
They do mean there is value in having another option ready.
A prescreen can provide that information without requiring the employer to make a change.
Then, when the final 2027 Ohio Chamber offering is available, the employer can make a decision based on actual rates, benefits, networks and alternatives rather than uncertainty.
That is a much better position to be in heading into a January 1 renewal.
Sources and Further Reading
- Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program – Ohio Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s current description of the program, its structure and UnitedHealthcare’s present role.
- Ohio Chamber of Commerce et al. v. United HealthCare Services, Inc.
– Federal court docket, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Case No. 2:26-cv-01077. - Navigating Ohio’s Changing Group Health Insurance Landscape
– Columbus Bar Association. Reports that Medical Mutual will become administrator of the Ohio Chamber MEWA. - Ohio Department of Insurance Annual Report – Includes financial information regarding Ohio MEWAs, including the Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program.
Editor’s note: This article describes publicly available information as of September 16, 2026. The Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program transition and related litigation are ongoing. We will update this article as additional official information becomes available.
About the Author
For more than three decades, Ted Stevenot has helped Ohio small businesses and their owners evaluate health insurance and employee benefits as a partner at McCarthy Stevenot Agency, Inc.
He writes the Broker’s Desk series to document the real-world decisions, conversations and observations that come from helping small businesses navigate health insurance.
Talk With McCarthy Stevenot Agency
If your Ohio small business is currently enrolled in the Ohio Chamber Health Benefit Program or preparing for a January 1 health insurance renewal, we can help you review the available alternatives.
That does not mean you need to leave your current plan. A prescreen can simply show you what other options may be available so you are prepared when your 2027 renewal information arrives.
Contact McCarthy Stevenot Agency to discuss your renewal, or call
513-891-9888.