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Health Insurance Costs Surpass $20,000 Per Year, Hitting a Record

Ever-rising premiums have pushed some to drop coverage

An empty hospital bed sits at New York Downtown Hospital. — An empty hospital bed sits at New York Downtown Hospital.
Photographer: DANIEL ACKER

By

September 25, 2019, 4:30 PM UTC

The cost of family health coverage in the U.S. now tops $20,000, an annual survey of employers found, a record high that has pushed an increasing number of American workers into plans that cover less or cost more, or force them out of the insurance market entirely.

“It’s as much as buying a basic economy car,” said Drew Altman, chief executive officer of the Kaiser Family Foundation, “but buying it every year.” The nonprofit health research group conducts the yearly survey of coverage that people get through work, the main source of insurance in the U.S. for people under age 65.