Employees See Healthcare Costs Surge
Healthcare policy group KFF’s annual employer survey finds that employees now pay $7,471 on average annually for family health coverage, up 9% or $621 from 2025. Overall premiums combining employer and employee shares increased 5% or $1,310 to $28,303.
Employees at small firms with less than 200 workers contribute $9,687 annually toward family coverage. That’s $2,847 more than workers in large firms.
KFF finds that family premiums and workers’ contributions have risen at similar rates (28% and 26%, respectively) since 2021. This is comparable to wage and inflation growth.
The average deductible for U.S. workers is approaching $2,000 before insurance kicks in.
In other news, the Commonwealth Fund’s biennial insurance survey finds that the uninsured rate for working age American increased to 11.2% from 8.9%. The uninsured rate of young adults (19-34) increased from 11% to 16% over the past two years. Decreases in Medicaid and individual market were the primary culprits.
Commonwealth says nearly half of working-age adults (46%) were inadequately insured in 2026, with 11% of those uninsured, 12% who had a gap in coverage during the year, and 23% who were underinsured.
Additional articles: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/kff-employer-family-premiums-5-28k-2026 and https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/6166007-employer-health-insurance-costs-premiums-rise/ and https://www.kff.org/quick-insights/premiums-for-employer-sponsored-family-health-coverage-top-28000-in-2026/ and https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/workers-now-pay-7471-on-average-annually-for-family-health-coverage-up-9-or-621-from-2025-benchmark-employer-health-benefits-survey-finds/ and https://www.kff.org/health-costs/2026-employer-health-benefits-survey/ and https://www.beckerspayer.com/payer/uninsured-rate-rises-to-11-2-survey/
#employercoverage #healthcare #premiums #uninsuredrate
https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/uninsured-rate-climbs-112-2026-commonwealth-fund
Molina Reports Fall in Q3 Profit
Molina Healthcare reported $38 million in profit in Q3 profit, down from $79 million in the prior year’s quarter. Through three quarters, 2026 profit is $112 million, a major decline from $632 million the year before. Revenues were also down in the quarter and year to date. The medical loss ratio was 92.9%. At the same time, Molina reaffirmed its full year 2026 adjusted earnings.
As reported by Elevance Health, Molina is seeing more recent data being incorporated into Medicaid rates. Medicaid expenses are trending 5.5% to 6%. Six of Molina’s states are expected to raise rates.
Additional articles: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/payers/molina-healthcare-highlights-medicaid-bright-spots-q3 and https://www.modernhealthcare.com/insurance/mh-molina-healthcare-medicaid-work-requirements/ and https://www.beckerspayer.com/financial/molina-profits-drop-52-in-q3/
#molina #margins #medicaid #managedcare
https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/molina-q3-2026-medicaid-recovery-momentum/833650
— Marc S. Ryan
