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23 million workers stay in jobs to keep employer health coverage
Job lock rose to 24 percent, up from 16 percent in 2021, according to a West Health-Gallup survey of 5,660 US adults.
Nearly 23 million US workers say they remain in jobs they would otherwise leave because they cannot afford to lose employer-sponsored health insurance, according to figures gathered by the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America.
The share reporting job lock reached 24 percent, up eight percentage points from 16 percent in 2021. The study surveyed 5,660 US adults from October 27 to December 22, 2025, then focused on 2,322 employed respondents whose primary coverage came from employer-sponsored insurance.
The findings come amid sustained premium growth, with Kaiser Family Foundation data showing the average annual premium for family coverage rose to $26,993 in 2025, up 6 percent year over year. Workers contributed an average of $6,850 of that cost from their paychecks, KFF said.
West Health-Gallup also links higher job lock rates to financial strain tied to healthcare. The data show job lock at 44 percent among workers carrying household medical debt versus 21 percent for those without, and at 37 percent among those who borrowed money for medical care in the past year versus 22 percent for those who had not. Among workers who say healthcare costs are a major financial burden, 48 percent report job lock, rising to 53 percent for those who say costs contribute a lot of stress.
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