HealthThursday, October 22, 20261 min read

STAT+: Workers are paying 9% more for family health coverage this year, a higher jump than in the recent past

By Tara Bannow · Via STAT Health · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Workers are paying 9% more for family health coverage this year, a higher increase than in recent years, primarily due to rising health care costs and employers bearing the brunt of the rise, affecting small businesses as well.

Key points

Workers are experiencing a significant increase in health insurance premiums.: Workers are experiencing a significant increase in health insurance premiums.
The 9% increase is larger than in recent years.: The 9% increase is larger than in recent years.
The rise is primarily due to rising health care costs and employers bearing the brunt of…: The rise is primarily due to rising health care costs and employers bearing the brunt of the increase.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Health insurance costs are climbing even more quickly for people who get workplace coverage, according to the gold-standard survey from the nonprofit KFF.

The amount that workers pay in premiums for a family health insurance plan jumped 9% in 2026, to $7,471 on average, according to KFF’s 2026 Employer Health Benefits Survey. That’s a bigger jump than the 6% and 7% increases KFF recorded in recent years. Workers at small businesses faced even larger increases.

Those premium increases are occurring largely because the overall cost of health care is climbing. So far, though, employers have shouldered most of that increase.

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Original source: www.statnews.com

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STAT+: Workers are paying 9% more for family health coverage this year, a higher jump than in the recent past

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