Two new surveys show that rising health care costs are placing increasing financial pressure on American households, prompting many people to delay medical care while contributing to a growing number of uninsured adults, The New York Times reports.
According to KFF’s annual employer health benefits survey, employees’ average annual contribution toward family health insurance premiums rose 9% in 2026 to $7,471, while the total average cost of family coverage, including employers’ contributions, reached $28,303. The average deductible for U.S. workers is approaching $2,000, and employees at small businesses with fewer than 200 workers pay an average of $9,687 annually for coverage.
More than one-third of workers at small businesses face deductibles of at least $3,000. Employers attribute rising expenses to hospital care, costly cancer treatments and expanded coverage of GLP-1 medications for obesity and diabetes. Some businesses are also restricting provider choices and requiring additional approvals for expensive treatments.
A separate Commonwealth Fund survey finds the share of working-age adults without health insurance increased from 8.9% in 2024 to 11.2% in 2026, contributing to an estimated 30 million uninsured Americans nationwide. Researchers link the decline in coverage partly to reduced Medicaid enrollment and the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, which made individual insurance plans less affordable for some consumers.
The financial consequences extend beyond premiums. Fifty percent of working-age adults surveyed say they delayed or skipped care because of costs, up from 46% in 2022.
