How ACA Marketplace Costs Compare to Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

Published: Nov 3, 2025

This analysis compares ACA Marketplace costs to employer-sponsored health insurance costs and finds that individual market premiums have become more similar to employer-sponsored premiums since 2017. In 2024, individual market insurance premiums averaged $540 per member per month, slightly below the average $587 per member per month premium for fully-insured employer coverage.

The analysis uses data from Mark Farrah Associates Health Coverage Portal to compare average premiums in the individual and group insurance markets. The data is based on insurer filings to NAIC in the Annual Exhibit of Premiums and Utilization, showing the average premiums and claims per member per month.

The full analysis and other data on health costs are available on the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub dedicated to monitoring and assessing the performance of the U.S. health system.