Workers Bear More of Rising Health Care Costs, Surveys Show
New survey data shows employers are passing higher health insurance premiums and deductibles to workers, forcing many to skip care.
American workers are absorbing a growing share of the nation's rising health care costs as employers shift higher premiums and deductibles onto employee paychecks, according to new survey data reported by The New York Times.
The financial pressure is prompting many workers to delay or forgo medical treatments and doctor visits altogether. The trend reflects a long-running cost-transfer strategy by employers that is now colliding with household budgets already strained by elevated food and gasoline prices.
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The compounding effect of higher insurance out-of-pocket costs alongside broader inflation creates a particularly difficult environment for lower- and middle-income workers, who have the least flexibility to absorb new expenses. Skipping preventive care or necessary treatments can lead to more serious and costly medical conditions over time, a dynamic that health economists have long warned against.
The surveys underscore a structural tension in the employer-sponsored insurance system, which covers the majority of working-age Americans. As health care costs continue to climb industrywide, employers face pressure to contain their own exposure, and shifting costs to workers has historically been a primary tool for doing so.
Continue reading at NYT > Business for the full survey details and expert analysis on how workers and families are responding to the pressure.
