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Nearly 1 in 4 workers in the US feel they can't leave their jobs, despite wanting to, for fear of losing their health insurance, according to a new report.
A survey conducted by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America between late October and late December of last year found the share of Americans with employer-sponsored healthcare reporting "job lock" rose by a whopping 8 percentage points since 2021, hitting 24%. During that time, the share of Americans who said they could consistently afford healthcare also slid to 49%, a five-year low.
The sense of being stuck in a position explicitly due to health insurance reasons was even more pronounced among those with medical debt, people struggling with financial strain related to healthcare costs, those with chronic conditions, and women.
"These findings point to a broader challenge for policymakers: When access to affordable healthcare is tied to employment, workers may feel compelled to stay in jobs that no longer meet their personal or professional needs," Ellyn Maese, a senior research consultant at Gallup, wrote in a post accompanying the research. "The effects extend beyond morale — reducing labor market efficiency, upward mobility and quality of life."
Read more: Is health insurance tax deductible? Here's what you can claim.
As of March 2025, 60% of people in the US under the age of 65 had employer-sponsored health insurance. Workplaces typically pay for a large chunk of coverage under this type of plan, making it the most dominant form of insurance for that age group, according to KFF. Workers on average pitched in $1,440 for premiums for single coverage and $6,850 in premiums for a family of four last year.
Around the time the West Health-Gallup Center survey was conducted, Affordable Care Act marketplace coverage grew more expensive due to the expiration of pandemic-era enhanced premium tax credits for marketplace plans, which lapsed at the end of 2025.
That may have spooked workers into clinging to their workplace-based plans, as marketplace enrollees faced sharp increases in their monthly payments and enrollment in marketplace plans tumbled.
Marketplace premiums are poised to jump again in 2027 too. Insurers participating in marketplaces in 16 states and the District of Columbia have said in filings that they see a median proposed premium increase of 14%, according to an analysis from the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, marking a second year of double-digit premium growth.
"If these early indications of median premium increases for 2027 hold, typical premiums for insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces will have jumped by more than one-third over a two-year period," the analysis said.
Emma Ockerman is a reporter covering the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance. You can reach her at [email protected].
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