Workers Now Pay $7,471 on Average Annually for Family Health Coverage, Up 9% or $621 from 2025

The 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey finds that workers are paying on average $7,471 annually toward the premiums for employer-sponsored family health benefits in 2026, which is up 9%, or $621, from 2025. Including the employers’ share, total annual premiums for family coverage now average $28,303, up 5% from 2025. The survey also captures trends in deductibles, offer rates, and employer practices, and employers’ experiences with GLP-1 and IVF coverage and understanding costs and utilization.

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KFF graphic with text that reads: "$28,303 -- Total annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage average $28,303 in 2026. Workers on average contribute $7,471 toward the premiums, with the employer paying the rest."

Premiums for Employer-Sponsored Family Health Coverage Top $28,000 in 2026

KFF Health News: Job-Based Health Plan Costs Rise, With Little Relief in Sight

Employers saw their health care premiums rise 5% this year — and some passed on that burden to workers — as the cost of family coverage in job-based insurance exceeds $28,000 for family plans.

Interactive: Compare Changes Over Time in Premiums and Worker Contributions for Covered Workers

health in the 2026 Midterms

KFF Midterms Data Presentation: What Do Voters Think About Health Care Now?

Event Date: Oct 14, 2026

During this virtual event, KFF public opinion and survey experts provided analysis and insights on the poll’s latest findings.

Watch the recap

Democrats Hold a Nearly 2-to-1 Advantage Over Republicans on Handling the Cost of Health Care

Poll: Cost of Health Care and Gas Top Voters’ Midterm Concerns; Democrats Hold Significant Advantage on Health Care Costs, Cost of Living

Health care costs are tied with gas as voters’ top economic concern, and voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on key issues, including health care costs and the cost of living. Meanwhile, support for Medicare-for-All has reached a new high in KFF polling — though views shift significantly when competing claims from critics and proponents are heard.

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“…voters’ concerns about health care costs are having a moment, and will continue to do so through 2028, because voters see them as a dimension of their worries about the cost of living, which is their dominant concern right now.” — Drew Altman, KFF Founding President and CEO

From Drew Altman: A Guide to the Role of Health in the Midterms

Overview of Public Opinion on Medicare-for-All, Other National Health Plan Proposals

KFF Health News: GOP Focuses on Fraud, Seeking To Redirect Voters’ Ire Over Healthcare Costs

Health in the 2026 Midterm Elections

See the latest from our round-up of policy research, polling and news from across KFF about election-related health care issues.

Midterm Election Update: ACA Marketplaces

More people than ever got coverage through the Affordable Care Act Marketplaces in 2025, but the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits has driven up what people pay and contributed to declining enrollment in 2026. Law and regulatory changes also tightened ACA eligibility and enrollment requirements. Public opinion of the ACA remains generally favorable, although views remain divided along partisan lines.

Explore the facts

Midterm Election Update: Vaccine Policy

Federal vaccine policy has shifted toward fewer recommended routine childhood vaccinations, more emphasis on individual decision-making, and greater skepticism about the safety and efficacy of some vaccines. The changes coincide with declining childhood vaccination rates, rising exemptions from school vaccine requirements, and a major measles resurgence.

Get the details

Midterm Election Update: Medicaid Changes

Major federal changes to Medicaid eligibility and financing from the 2025 reconciliation law are coming, including new work requirements that will affect millions of Medicaid enrollees. KFF’s fact sheet provides an overview of what has changed, what is still ahead, and what the public thinks about Medicaid heading into the midterms.

See what’s changing

new and noteworthy

About Half of Parents Mistakenly Believe Spacing Out Vaccines Is Healthier for Children; Half Say No Strong Evidence to Support Such a Claim

Health Information and Trust Poll: Fall 2026 Update on Vaccine Views

KFF’s Business of Health: Building the AI Hospital

Individual Market Enrollment Declined by 18% Since June 2025

Individual Market Enrollment Continues to Fall Through Mid-2026

Featured Videos: Are Insurers to Blame for Health System Problems?

medicare open enrollment

In 2026, How Much Do People with Medicare Pay for Coverage?

Updated FAQs: Medicare Open Enrollment

How Medicare Advantage Rebates Disadvantage Medicare’s Stand-Alone Drug Plan Market

Medicare Open Enrollment and Coverage Options: Key Questions and Answers

Each year, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to make changes to how they receive their Medicare coverage during the nearly 8-week annual open enrollment period. This brief answers key questions about the Medicare open enrollment period and Medicare coverage options.

Medicare Advantage Plan Availability Varies Widely by County for 2027

Nearly Three-Quarters of Medicare Advantage Enrollees Could be Denied a Medigap Policy Due to a Pre-Existing Condition

Women's Health survey

KFF 2026 Women’s Health Survey

For more than two decades, the KFF Women’s Health Survey has provided a nationally representative look at women’s experiences with health care in the U.S.

Explore the latest findings