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

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. This benchmark annual 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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What Are the Recent Trends in Employer-Based Health Coverage?

Employer-sponsored health insurance is the largest source of health coverage for people under 65. This analysis examines who among people under 65 have employer coverage and which workers are offered and eligible for coverage at their jobs, using the Annual Economic and Social (March) Supplements of the Current Population Survey.

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  • Are Health Insurance Companies the Reason for Our Health System’s Ills? 

    Perspective

    In this JAMA Health Forum column, KFF's Larry Levitt examines the criticism that health insurance companies are facing from political leaders, and explores the industry's role in both causing and addressing some of the health systems' biggest problems, including rising costs and prior authorization review.

  • What Are the Recent Trends in Employer-Based Health Coverage?

    Issue Brief

    Employer-sponsored health insurance is the largest source of health coverage for people under 65, covering 165.6 million people in March 2025. This analysis examines who among people under 65 have employer coverage and which workers are offered and eligible for coverage at their jobs, using the Annual Economic and Social (March) Supplements of the Current Population Survey.

  • Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance 101

    Feature

    This Health Policy 101 chapter explores employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI), the primary health coverage source for U.S. residents under age 65. In addition to detailing ESI requirements and incentives, structure, availability, and costs, the chapter examines ongoing challenges related to affordability and access to care for those with ESI coverage. 

  • Claims Denials and Appeals in ACA Marketplace Plans in 2024

    Issue Brief

    This brief analyzes federal transparency data published by CMS on claims denials and appeals for Marketplace plan offered on HealthCare.gov in 2024, and finds insurers denied 19% of in-network claims. Consumers rarely appeal denied claims.

  • How Does Cost Affect Access to Health Care?

    Issue Brief

    This analysis explores trends in how the cost of healthcare affects access to care in the U.S. using National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data. In 2024, about 1 in 6 adults (17%) reported delaying or not getting healthcare due to cost

  • Over-the-Counter Oral Contraceptive Pills

    Issue Brief

    Oral contraceptives are the most commonly used method of reversible contraception in the U.S. In July 2023, the FDA approved Opill, the first daily oral contraceptive pill to become available over the counter (OTC) without a doctor’s prescription. This issue brief provides an overview of OTC oral contraceptives and laws and policies related to insurance coverage.

  • Medicaid Workers and Job-Based Insurance: Who Is Offered, Eligible, and Enrolled?

    Issue Brief

    Most adult Medicaid enrollees who will be subject to new work requirements are already working but rely on Medicaid because their employers do not offer health coverage or they are not eligible for the coverage offered at their job. This analysis examines the availability of job-based insurance in 2024 for adult Medicaid workers ages 19 to 64.