Family Health Insurance Premiums Top $28,000 Annually
Average family premiums for employer health plans reached about $28,000 this year, up roughly 5%. That's according to KFF's annual survey of nearly 2,000 employers.
- $7,471 a year: workers' average share of family premiums, up 9% from 2025.
- $9,687: what small-firm workers pay toward family coverage on average.
- 34%: rise in average employer-plan deductibles over the last 10 years.
- 11.2%: share of working-age adults uninsured in 2026, up from 8.9%.
Why it matters: Premium growth roughly tracks wages and inflation, but workers' share is growing faster. KFF's Matthew Rae said a lasting shift of costs onto workers would be a big deal for affordability.
- 43% of insured workers skipped care over cost in the past year, per Commonwealth Fund.
- 31% of insured workers reported carrying medical debt.
How 4 sources split on this story
Where they split: Coverage differs on emphasis: NPR centers worker costs and federal coverage policy, while Time centers a cost spiral driven by market forces and uninsured patients.
Center coverage, 2 sources: The center sees steady but heavy cost growth squeezing even well-insured workers, alongside coverage losses tied to federal policy choices.
Left coverage, 2 sources: The left sees a system becoming unsustainable, with lapsed subsidies and rising uninsured rates feeding a cycle of higher costs.
What’s next: Employers expect health benefit costs per employee to rise 8.2% to 9% in 2027.
- Medicaid work requirements start next year; millions more are projected to lose coverage.
- Marsh found many employers plan to shift more costs onto employees.
- Is the 9% jump in workers' premium share the start of a lasting shift?
- Will rising uninsured rates push hospital prices and premiums still higher?
