{
  "id": 16100562,
  "title": "Families are paying nearly $7,500 a year for health insurance. The next price hike is already looming.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/families-are-paying-nearly-7-500-a-year-for-health-insurance-the-next",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-22T19:35:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Insider",
    "slug": "business-insider",
    "url": "https://www.businessinsider.com/workers-paying-thousands-health-insurance-premiums-costs-going-up-2026-10"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Health insurance premiums have skyrocketed for both workers and employers. In 2026, workers on family health insurance plans paid $7,471 for premiums, a 9% increase from 2025. Smaller businesses faced even higher costs, with workers paying nearly $10,000 for family premiums. This growing expense has outpaced wage growth, and more hikes are expected in 2027. A KFF health benefits survey in 2026 revealed that workers on family plans paid an average of $7,471 annually in premiums, a 9% rise from the previous year. When employer contributions are included, family plan premiums totaled $28,303 in 2026, a 5% increase from 2025. Smaller firms, often reliant on insurance companies due to lack of bargaining power, spent nearly $10,000 on family premiums in 2026. Despite wages increasing 3.7% year-over-year, worker-paid premiums grew by a steeper 9%, consuming a larger portion of household income. A PwC analysis projects a 9% rise in commercial healthcare group costs in 2027, while Aon forecasts a 9.5% increase without cost mitigation measures. This financial strain poses a challenge for both employers and workers, who may face limited wage increases amid rising care costs. A recent Ipsos/Axios poll found that 69% of Americans believe a 10% premium increase would negatively impact their household finances, with 30% deeming it a major setback.",
  "summary": "Premiums for family health insurance plans were over $28,000 in 2026, and costs are likely only going up.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}