Premiums and worker contributions, 2025
The KFF 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey is the most complete public read on employer coverage. Its averages are for covered workers at firms with 10 or more employees.
| 2025 average | Single coverage | Family coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Annual premium | $9,325 | $26,993 |
| Change from 2024 | 5% | 6% |
| Worker contribution | $1,440 | $6,850 |
| Worker share of premium | 16% | 26% |
The 6% rise in family premiums outpaced 2025 wage growth (4%) and inflation (2.7%), as KFF reports them. Over five years the picture is closer: family premiums rose 26%, against 28.6% for wages and 23.5% for inflation. Worker contribution percentages held steady, so the dollar amount workers pay for family coverage rose with the premium, from $6,366 in 2024.
Small firms and large firms are different markets
National averages hide the gap that matters most in small-group work. Premiums are similar across firm sizes, but small employers pass far more of the family premium to workers and use higher deductibles.
| KFF 2025 | 10 to 199 workers | 200+ workers |
|---|---|---|
| Average single premium | $9,211 | $9,361 |
| Average family premium | $26,054 | $27,280 |
| Worker contribution, family | $8,889 | $6,227 |
| Worker share of family premium | 36% | 23% |
| Average single deductible | $2,631 | $1,670 |
| Covered workers with a single deductible of $2,000+ | 53% | 28% |
| Firms offering health benefits | 59% | 97% |
| Covered workers in self-funded plans | 27% | 80% |
Funding differs just as sharply. Two thirds (67%) of all covered workers are in self-funded plans, mostly at large firms, and 37% of covered workers at firms with 10 to 199 workers are in level-funded plans. If you are weighing that option for a smaller group, our level-funded plans explainer covers how the arrangement works.
Plan design: PPOs lead, deductibles climb
| Plan type | Share of covered workers | Average single deductible |
|---|---|---|
| PPO | 46% | $1,337 |
| HDHP with a savings option | 33% | $2,609 |
| HMO | 12% | $1,649 |
| POS | 9% | $2,122 |
Deductible figures are for workers in plans with a general annual deductible. Across all plans that average was $1,886 for single coverage in 2025, up from $1,773 the year before. The share of covered workers facing a single deductible of $2,000 or more was 34%, similar to 2024 (32%).
Among firms offering health benefits, 31% offer an HSA-qualified HDHP and 8% an HDHP paired with an HRA; large firms are much more likely to offer either (62% against 35%). Employer account funding is modest: workers in HSA-qualified HDHPs receive an average employer HSA contribution of $690 for single and $1,296 for family coverage, and 33% of employers offering single coverage through these plans put nothing into the account. HRA contributions run higher, averaging $1,966 single and $3,810 family.
Drugs, networks and access to care
- GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. Coverage rises steeply with size: 16% of firms with 200 to 999 workers, 30% with 1,000 to 4,999, and 43% with 5,000 or more cover GLP-1 agonists when used primarily for weight loss.
- Virtual primary care. 30% of offering firms with 50 or more workers contract for virtual primary care beyond their plan networks, rising to 45% at firms with 1,000 or more workers.
- Tiered and high-performance networks. 15% of offering firms with 50 or more workers include one in their largest plan.
- Mental health access. Of all firms offering health benefits, 92% believe their largest plan's network gives timely access to primary care and 89% to specialty care, but only 70% say the same of mental health services.
- Menopause support. 13% of firms with 5,000 or more workers have a vendor contract for it, and 4% of firms with 200 to 999.
Which benefits private-sector workers can get
KFF describes employers that offer coverage. The BLS National Compensation Survey instead counts every private industry worker, including part-time staff and those whose employer offers nothing, so its access rates run lower and give the wider view of the market.
| Benefit, March 2025 | Private industry workers with access |
|---|---|
| Medical care | 72% |
| Outpatient prescription drugs | 71% |
| Life insurance | 59% |
| Employee assistance program | 59% |
| Health care flexible spending account | 47% |
| Wellness programs | 46% |
| Dental care | 44% |
| Short-term disability | 44% |
| Health savings account | 41% |
| Long-term disability | 37% |
| Vision care | 29% |
What changes for 2026
ACA affordability percentage
The affordability percentage has risen every year since 2024. A higher percentage means an employer can charge somewhat more for the lowest-cost self-only option before failing the test. Run your own contributions through the ACA affordability calculator.
| Plan year | Required contribution percentage | IRS source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8.39% | Rev. Proc. 2023-29 |
| 2025 | 9.02% | Rev. Proc. 2024-35 |
| 2026 | 9.96% | Rev. Proc. 2025-25 |
| 2027 | 10.22% | Rev. Proc. 2026-26 |
The employer shared responsibility amounts also moved. For 2026, Rev. Proc. 2025-26 sets the annual 4980H(a) amount at $3,340 per full-time employee and the 4980H(b) amount at $5,010 per employee who receives a premium tax credit.
HSA and HDHP limits
| Limit | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| HSA contribution limit, self-only | $4,300 | $4,400 |
| HSA contribution limit, family | $8,550 | $8,750 |
| HDHP minimum deductible, self-only | $1,650 | $1,700 |
| HDHP minimum deductible, family | $3,300 | $3,400 |
| HDHP out-of-pocket maximum, self-only | $8,300 | $8,500 |
| HDHP out-of-pocket maximum, family | $16,600 | $17,000 |
Sources: Rev. Proc. 2024-25 for 2025 and Rev. Proc. 2025-19 for 2026, which also raises the maximum excepted benefit HRA to $2,200 for plan years beginning in 2026.
What this data cannot tell you
- 2026 premiums. KFF's 2026 survey had not been published when this page was reviewed, so there is no survey-based figure here for 2026 premium growth. Carrier renewal projections are not the same thing.
- Your client's market. These are national averages. KFF reports that premiums are relatively higher in the Northeast and lower in the South, and industry and workforce wages move them too.
- Very small employers. From 2025 KFF surveys firms with 10 or more workers, so its offer rates are not comparable with estimates it published earlier that included firms with 3 to 9 workers.
- Dental, vision and voluntary pricing. Neither survey on this page reports premiums for ancillary or voluntary lines.
Common questions
What was the average employer health insurance premium in 2025?
According to the KFF 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, the average annual premium was $9,325 for single coverage and $26,993 for family coverage. Single premiums rose 5% and family premiums 6% from 2024. Workers paid an average of $1,440 toward single coverage and $6,850 toward family coverage.
What is the ACA affordability percentage for 2026?
For plan years beginning in 2026, the IRS set the required contribution percentage at 9.96% in Rev. Proc. 2025-25, up from 9.02% in 2025 and 8.39% in 2024. For 2027 plan years it rises again, to 10.22%, under Rev. Proc. 2026-26. A higher percentage lets an employer charge somewhat more for self-only coverage before the offer is treated as unaffordable.
How many covered workers are enrolled in high-deductible health plans?
KFF found that 33% of covered workers were enrolled in a high-deductible plan with a savings option in 2025, similar to 2024. PPOs remain the most common plan type, at 46% of covered workers. Among firms offering health benefits, 31% offer an HSA-qualified HDHP.
Source and method
Premiums, contributions, deductibles, plan enrollment, funding and employer practices: KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, published October 22, 2025, based on 1,862 interviews with non-federal public and private firms with 10 or more workers. Access rates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2025, private industry workers, retrieved from the BLS Public Data API. Affordability percentages, 4980H amounts and HSA limits: the IRS revenue procedures linked above. All sources retrieved September 15, 2026 and shown as published. Planlined did not survey anyone for this page.