Health insurance is so expensive even healthcare workers are canceling their coverage — protect yourself from rising premiums

The Durhams cancelled their personal health insurance this year and are drawing down on their $50,000 health savings account (HSA) to cover medical expenses. They often treat their own family, and Joshua has set up a barter system with an optometrist, getting free eye exams in exchange for some primary care.

It’s less expensive than insurance, but also “nervewracking,” Joshua Durham says.

“It just takes, you know, one little accident, and then [you’ve] got a big fat bill,” he said.

Here’s a look at how dire the situation is.

Health providers are not immune to health inflation

To date, it’s a relatively small group who’ve opted out: 7% of all U.S. healthcare workers overall and just 2% of doctors. Healthcare support workers — like nursing assistants, physiotherapists and dental assistants — are leading the trend.

In 2024, 10.5% of healthcare support workers were uninsured, according to the U.S. census. That compares to 11% of the general population under 65.

Still, the numbers are significant enough to demonstrate the dilemma healthcare workers face.

To get by, many have to forego the very insurance that sustains their livelihoods and those of their patients.

Healthcare workers are grappling with the same sticker shock as fellow Americans. Rising healthcare costs are to blame, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in September.

The study found that between 2011 and 2024, mean health insurance premiums in the U.S. soared 78.4% — from $4,008 to $7,151 a year. That’s double the overall rate of inflation (39%).

Yale economist Zack Cooper, lead author on the paper, noted that health spending (including for the cost of medications and treatments) rose 84.2% over that same time period.

“We found that health insurance premiums increased nearly dollar-for-dollar with health spending,” he said, noting that insurer markups actually fell.

Things have only gotten worse, particularly for people who signed up for private health insurance through the U.S. Affordable Care Act marketplace. Congress ended a number of subsidies for the program in December 2025, leaving enrolees to pay more out of pocket.

In 2026, their average annual premiums ballooned 58% to $780, while average deductibles mushroomed $1,000 to $3,786. As the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports, nearly three million people dropped out of the plan between February 2025 and February 2026.

And that includes many healthcare workers. The cost of employer-sponsored health insurance has become a burden for small businesses and employees alike — including health clinics.

According to KFF, the average family premium in a group plan hit $26,993 in 2025, with employees picking up $6,580 each and bosses (including physicians) picking up the rest.

Jack Dillon, executive director of the Association for Independent Medicine, spoke to KFF News about the challenge. His organization represents 4,000 physician-run clinics. He noted many may have to limit health insurance benefits for staff or cut the plans altogether.

“The cost has become so astronomical,” he said. “You’re looking at it and saying, ‘What’s the value?’”

There’s little relief ahead. According to the Washington Post, insurance premiums for employer-sponsored plans are expected to rise another 8.2% next year.

How to cope with the high cost of health coverage

You may be wondering what to do about rising health insurance costs if even healthcare workers are struggling. Here are some ideas.