Since 1999, the Employer Health Benefits Survey has documented traits in employer-sponsored medical health insurance. Yearly, non-public and non-federal public employers with three or extra workers full the survey. Amongst different matters, the survey asks companies for the premium (or full per-person price) of their well being protection, in addition to employee contributions (quantity of the premium that staff pay). The graphing instrument beneath appears at modifications in premiums and employee contributions over time for coated staff at several types of companies.
Findings from the 2025 survey and supplemental data can be found here. For extra data on the survey methodology, see the Survey Design and Strategies part. For extra questions on the Employer Well being Advantages Survey or this instrument, please go to the Contact Us web page and select “TOPIC: Well being Prices.”
Commonplace Errors (SE): Like in all surveys, each estimate within the Employer Well being Advantages Survey has uncertainty. Estimates for smaller, extra particular teams are likely to have extra uncertainty. Commonplace Errors (SEs) are a measure of how a lot uncertainty there may be in an estimate. Commonplace errors are utilized in statistical exams to find out whether or not the distinction between two estimates is important. Typically, even massive variations between two teams aren’t truly meaningfully completely different. Commonplace errors can be found for every knowledge level within the “Export Desk Information” obtain hyperlink above.
Not Enough Information (NSD): In instances through which there are too few companies in a sub-population to offer an inexpensive estimate and/or defend respondent confidentiality, the abbreviation NSD is used.
Weights: As a way to be certain that estimates are nationally consultant, companies are chosen randomly and weights are utilized to every agency’s knowledge. Premium and employee contribution estimates are weighted to the variety of staff coated by well being advantages. These weights are adjusted to the variety of workers in business and agency measurement classes. For extra data, see the Survey Design and Methods part.
Variable Definitions: Household protection refers to a household of 4. Companies providing self-funded or partially self-funded plans bear some or the entire monetary threat of protecting their workers’ medical claims immediately. These companies usually contract with a third-party administrator or insurer to offer administrative companies for plans. In some instances, these employers might also purchase stop-loss protection from a third-party insurer to guard the employer towards having to pay for very massive claims. For extra data on self-funding, see the “Plan Funding” section. Companies providing a number of plan sorts are outlined as self-funded or absolutely insured based mostly on the traits of their largest plan sort; nevertheless, premiums are calculated as a weighted common of as much as two plan sorts. Subsequently, the premiums of each self-funded and absolutely insured plans could also be included within the common premium and employee contribution for some companies.
Business classifications are based mostly on a agency’s major Commonplace Industrial Classification (SIC) code as decided by Dun and Bradstreet. A agency’s area is decided by the placement of its major location, in keeping with the U.S. Census Bureau definitions. Agency possession classifications are reported by the survey participant.
Companies with Many Decrease-Wage or Increased-Wage Staff: Since 2013, thresholds for higher- and lower- wage staff are based mostly on the twenty fifth and seventy fifth percentile of nationwide staff’ earnings as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) (2020). Cutoffs are inflation-adjusted and rounded to the closest thousand. From 2007 to 2012, wage cutoffs are calculated utilizing the now-eliminated Nationwide Compensation Survey. Increased-wage companies are these the place at the very least 35% of staff earn greater than the seventy fifth percentile cutoff. Decrease-wage companies are these the place at the very least 35% of staff earn lower than the twenty fifth percentile cutoff. To scale back the survey burden on respondents, in some years, the survey instrument solely included questions on higher-wage staff.
| 35% of Staff Earn … or much less | 35% of Staff Earn … or extra | |
| 1999 | $20,000 | $75,000 |
| 2000 | $20,000 | $75,000 |
| 2001 | $20,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2002 | $20,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2003 | $20,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2004 | $20,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2005 | $20,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2006 | $20,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2007 | $21,000 | $50,000 |
| 2008 | $22,000 | $52,000 |
| 2009 | $23,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2010 | $23,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2011 | $23,000 | Not Obtainable |
| 2012 | $24,000 | $55,000 |
| 2013 | $23,000 | $56,000 |
| 2014 | $23,000 | $57,000 |
| 2015 | $23,000 | $58,000 |
| 2016 | $23,000 | $59,000 |
| 2017 | $24,000 | $60,000 |
| 2018 | $25,000 | $62,000 |
| 2019 | $25,000 | $63,000 |
| 2020 | $26,000 | $64,000 |
| 2021 | $28,000 | $66,000 |
| 2022 | $30,000 | $70,000 |
| 2023 | $31,000 | $72,000 |
| 2024 | $35,000 | $77,000 |
| 2025 | $37,000 | $80,000 |
