May 6, 2026
A workplace healthcare plan still ranks first among factors Americans consider when making a career move, according to a Talker Research survey for provider Oscar Health this past December (1). And, according to Indeed's 2025 Workplace Insights Survey, health insurance is neck and neck with vacation days as the most popular employer-sponsored benefit (2).
However, the portion employees pay for that prized benefit is creeping up. According to data from health policy research firm Kaiser Family Foundation (3) (KFF), in 2025 the average single person paid $9,235 in premiums, 5% more than the previous year. Meanwhile, the average family coverage cost $26,993, a 6% increase from the previous year, and a 26% increase over the last five years.
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Jessica Balcerzak, a 33-year-old wife and mother of three, told Bloomberg (4) that she opted out of her employer's insurance in 2025, saying she was "spending so much money and we don't even use this because we're healthy," noting that she works in healthcare herself.
"I'm literally a nurse." Balcerzak said. "I wish we were given some benefit from the healthcare that we do have to work for."
Premium creep is pushing employees to seek alternatives
As Balcerzak explained to Bloomberg, her hospital employer in Buffalo, New York, covered 55% of her health insurance premiums, leaving her to pay $585 every two weeks. But she felt that $15,210 (annually) would be better off in a high-yield savings account or spent paying down the family's debt.
So, her and her husband signed up to a medical cost-sharing cooperative, Zion HealthShare, for $297 a month instead. And they enrolled the kids in Child Health Plus, a state-sponsored plan with monthly premiums ranging from $15 to $60 (5) per child depending on family income. In total, Balcerzak says they now pay $970 less a month for the family's healthcare coverage.
KFF data shows the proportion of workers enrolled for employer health benefits when available has dipped, however slightly, from 64% in 2020 to 61% in 2025, while it was as high as 70% in 2001 (6).
It's a sign of the times, says Myranda Cleary, a Kansas City-based healthcare consultant.
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"It really is this perfect storm right now where everything has increased and people that normally would have just reenrolled are starting to look at every single dollar they're paying for their daily life, including their health insurance," Cleary told Bloomberg (7).
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Risk versus reward
Health sharing plans can offer members lower monthly costs compared to insurance premiums, but they are not technically insurance, and thus not regulated by state and federal laws (8). And regardless of how much you pay in, coverage is not guaranteed, but at the discretion of members. A Forbes review (9) of medicare alternatives notes that health sharing plans tend to be aligned with religious values and health expenses related to "non-Biblical lifestyles and choices" can be denied.
As Bloomberg notes (10), citing a 2023 Government Accountability Office study on health insurance alternatives, share plans can also restrict coverage for preexisting conditions and mental health services.
Zion Healthshare, to which Balcerzak now belongs, does list mental health treatment among "expenses ineligible for sharing (11)." Other things on that list include allergy treatments, diabetic medication and supplies, dental cleaning, vision hardware (glasses and contact lenses), assessment and treatment for neurodivergent conditions (such as autism, ADHD) as well as medical needs that "may be considered medically stable when the condition is chronic."
If you're thinking of ditching your employer-sponsored plan for an alternative, like a health share plan, be sure to first consider how much you'd be saving versus the coverage you could be giving up — and the costs you'd then be paying for entirely out-of-pocket.
Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Talker Research (1); Indeed Hiring Lab (2); Kaiser Family Foundation (3),(6); Bloomberg (4),(7),(10); NY State of Health (5); Experian (8); Forbes (9); Zion HealthShare (11)
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Tara Losinski is an associate editor for Moneywise.
