U.S. average annual health insurance premiums rose from $4,008 in 2011 to $7,151 in 2024, up 78.4%—twice the overall inflation rate, a JAMA study found. Some healthcare workers are uninsured; Boise doctor Joshua Durham and pharmacist Ashley Durham canceled coverage this year.
JAMA co-author Zack Cooper said health spending rose 84.2% over the same period, and premiums increased nearly dollar-for-dollar with spending while insurer markups fell. Overall, 7% of healthcare workers and 2% of doctors had opted out; in 2024, 10.5% of healthcare support workers were uninsured, compared with 11% of the under-65 population.
The Durhams are using a $50,000 health savings account for bills; Joshua barters primary-care visits for an optometrist’s free eye exams. KFF put the average 2025 employer-group family premium at $26,993, with employees paying $6,580. Jack Dillon of the Association for Independent Medicine said clinics may limit staff health benefits or drop coverage. Congress ended some ACA marketplace subsidies in December 2025; the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported nearly 3 million people left marketplace plans between February 2025 and February 2026. The Washington Post reported employer-plan premiums are expected to rise another 8.2% next year.
