Workers are expected to face the largest healthcare price increase in at least 20 years in 2027
Donald Trump and Republicans have spiked healthcare costs for millions of Americans. First, they cut Medicaid by nearly $1 TRILLION — the largest cut to healthcare in history — to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-rich. Then, they refused to extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, hiking premiums by an average of 58%. Trump and Republicans’ cuts have already forced three million people to drop their coverage, with more expected to drop coverage in the coming months as premiums are expected to see another double-digit increase next year.
Now, new reporting reveals that Americans with employer-sponsored health coverage are expected to pay an average of $5,297 for healthcare this year, nearly $400 more than last year. Workers are expected to pay even more next year, as they face potentially the largest health insurance price increase in at least 20 years.
More than half of Americans already could not reliably afford healthcare in 2025 — a five-year low — and nearly one in four American workers report staying in unwanted jobs just to maintain consistent health insurance.
In response, DNC Spokesperson Jaelin O’Halloran released the following statement:
“Donald Trump and Republicans’ endless cuts to healthcare have jacked up costs for millions of Americans. Everyday Americans are dipping even further into their savings and taking on record amounts of debt to afford a trip to the doctor’s office or lifesaving medicine — and Trump doesn’t care. While Trump prioritizes his White House vanity projects and tax cuts for the rich, working families are pinching pennies to pay their medical bills or forgoing healthcare coverage because they can’t afford it — and they will hold Trump and Republicans accountable in November.”
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Workers Are Paying More for Healthcare, and Next Year Will Be Worse
[Anna Wilde Mathews and Peter Loftus, 8/20/26]
“Surging healthcare costs are walloping U.S. workers, and they will only worsen next year. For 2027, employers may be facing the biggest health-insurance increase in at least two decades.
“Americans with workplace coverage spent an average $5,297 this year on healthcare, $388 more than 2025, according to a new estimate from benefits-consulting firm Aon. The spending represents a combination of payroll deductions for premiums and out-of-pocket charges like deductibles and copays.
“The burden is likely to grow significantly next year, when U.S. employers expect their healthcare costs to go up by 11.1%, according to a new survey from WTW, another big benefits consultant—the steepest rise in more than 20 years. […]
“As companies are forced to pay more for insurance, their workers, who typically pay a share of the premium, are seeing their own costs rise roughly in tandem. That means more dollars are held out of their paychecks each month. […]
“Americans are paying more out of pocket for healthcare in the form of deductibles, copayments and coinsurance, as well as expenses not covered by their insurance, according to federal data.
“‘Healthcare spending recently has risen more quickly than income,’ said Michael Chernew, a healthcare-policy professor at Harvard Medical School.”
