Family Health Plans Average a Record $11,000 for Employees

Health insurance premiums and deductibles rose more than 6 percent in 2024, leaving lower-income employees vulnerable to medical expenses.

Informational pamphlets at a health care enrollment fair in Richmond, Calif., on March 31, 2014. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Health insurance premiums and deductibles rose faster than both inflation and wages in 2024, leaving the average American worker with health care costs of more than $11,000 against a median household income of $86,000.

These costs rose by 6.2 percent in 2024, outpacing both the 2.9 percent annual inflation and the median household income growth of 5.9 percent, according to a February report from the Commonwealth Fund.