And healthcare experts warn that the consequences could extend well beyond individual workers.
“Healthcare workers are no different than the millions of Americans facing skyrocketing insurance premiums they cannot afford,” a Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare spokesperson told the DCNF. “This has meant more people forgo purchasing insurance and put off care until they need an emergency department visit, which can lead to hospitals becoming overwhelmed.”
That creates an uncomfortable irony for the American healthcare system.
Workers responsible for treating patients may themselves delay routine appointments, preventive screenings, or treatment because the cost of maintaining insurance has become too high.
The potential impact becomes even more serious when independent providers and smaller medical practices are involved.
“An increase in the number of independent and small practice providers foregoing health insurance has the potential to put more strain on the larger healthcare system if they forego preventive care, get sick and cannot afford treatment or need to step back from the workforce,” the spokesperson continued. “This is especially true in rural communities, where hospitals and health systems are already stretched thin.”
The numbers illustrate why affordability has become such a major concern.
The average annual premium for employer-sponsored family health coverage reached $26,993 in 2025, according to KFF estimates.
That is more than the price of many new cars — every single year — just for health insurance premiums.
And there is little indication that the pressure is about to disappear.
Mercer projected that employer health benefit costs could climb another 8.2% in 2027. If that projection holds, it would represent the largest annual increase since 2003.
For Americans purchasing coverage outside a traditional large employer, the financial equation can be particularly brutal.
Jeff Singer, President Emeritus and Founder of Valley Surgical Clinics Ltd., said consumers with relatively healthy incomes are increasingly questioning whether conventional individual insurance is worth its enormous price tag.
“It’s no surprise that even upper-middle-income people are deciding that the risk-to-benefit ratio of buying individual insurance plans doesn’t favor them,” President Emeritus and Founder of Valley Surgical Clinics Ltd. Jeff Singer told the DCNF.
Singer pointed directly to the structure created under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.
“Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) [Obamacare], the government requires individual insurance plans to cover a package of essential health benefits, even if consumers don’t want or need all of them. It also mandates that insurers spend a set percentage of premium revenue on medical care and quality improvement rather than on administration, marketing and profits.”
Those requirements were designed in part to establish minimum standards for insurance coverage and prevent consumers from purchasing plans that provided inadequate protection.
But more than a decade after Obamacare’s major insurance provisions took effect, affordability remains a serious problem for many households.
The federal government has attempted to bridge that gap through premium tax credits that reduce insurance costs for qualifying Americans.
Yet Singer argues that the need for substantial taxpayer subsidies itself demonstrates just how expensive the underlying product has become.
“Yet premiums remain high enough that the federal government subsidizes coverage for many middle-income consumers through premium tax credits,” Singer continued. “A growing number of people — even health professionals — believe insurance isn’t worth the expense.”
That may be one of the most politically damaging realities surrounding America’s healthcare system.
If medical professionals who understand the risks of going uninsured better than almost anyone are nevertheless willing to consider dropping their own coverage, the affordability problem is difficult to dismiss.
Consumers might ordinarily respond to soaring prices by purchasing cheaper protection covering primarily catastrophic medical events.
But Singer said those options remain limited.
He noted there are currently “few alternatives” for medical professionals “seeking less-comprehensive, lower-cost coverage for major medical expenses.”
Small-business owners are confronting similar pressures, with some reportedly deciding that providing or purchasing traditional health insurance simply costs too much.
The broader danger is a vicious cycle.
As premiums climb, healthier Americans may conclude that coverage is not worth the price. Some may postpone routine care, while others could end up relying on emergency departments when serious medical problems develop.
Meanwhile, hospitals — particularly those serving rural communities — are already dealing with significant financial and staffing pressures.
Obamacare was sold to the American public as a way to make healthcare more accessible and secure.
Years later, the country is facing a deeply uncomfortable question: What does it say about America’s healthcare system when even the people who work inside it are deciding they cannot afford the insurance?
