https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/22/business/health-insurance-costs-workers-premiums-deductibles.html
Employers Shift Rising Health Care Costs Onto Millions of Workers
New surveys show that increases in premiums and deductibles are forcing people to forgo treatments or doctor’s visits while budgets are strained by higher food and gas prices.
The yearly price, on average, for employees to cover their family is now $7,471 a year, up 9 percent from 2025. The total cost for a family plan, including the amount the employer contributes to the annual premiums, has reached $28,303.
Overall, the average deductible for U.S. workers is approaching $2,000 before insurance kicks in, according to the survey.
Harder hit are employees of small companies, defined as those with fewer than 200 workers
44% of large employers, with at least 200 employees, said they upped what workers had to pay toward coverage.
*Nearly half of CFOs surveyed (45%) said they intend to place a stronger emphasis on plan design changes in the coming years, including measures such as raising deductibles. *
A smaller number of CFOs (38%) support raising employees’ premium contributions, which would hit everyone’s paycheck whether they use health care or not.
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/22/nx-s1-6008153/health-insurance-costs-kff-commonwealth
Joseph Babbitt of Springfield, Mo. has a pretty good deal when it comes to health insurance. He works as a senior financial controller for West Plains Veterinary Supply, which employs about 50 people and distributes pet food, toys and vet supplies across the region.
Like about 157 million Americans, Babbitt gets insurance through his job. Unlike most Americans, his job has exceptionally generous benefits. “Our owners are very nice — they give all of our employees health care and they pay for it,” he says.
- He explains that even without monthly premiums, a high deductible can be brutal *
Now age 60, he remembers a time when it wasn’t so bad. “Back in the '90s, our deductibles were $250 [or] $500 — now they’re $5,000,” he says. “That seems like a lot.”