Sky Rocketing Health Insurance Premiums
Please take a minute to complete a questionnaire at the bottom of this page to help us better understand the financial burden the cost of health insurance presents for members of our community.
So how much is health insurance going to cost in 2025 - 2026?
Background & Data…
The average premium for single coverage in 2025 is $9,325 per year. The average premium for family coverage is $26,993 per year, with worker’s paying on average $6,850 / year in premiums.
For workers with single coverage in a plan with a general annual deductible, the average annual deductible is $1,886.
The average Out-of-Pocket (OOP) Maximum for single Coverage is $4,423.
While 21% of these workers have an out-of-pocket maximum above $6,000. Insurance companies make this data very difficult to collect and so we rely on available data, and anecdotal experience that OOP averages are likely higher than this.
While family premiums will rise by 6%, not an insignificant number, the hardest hit will be vulnerable patients on Affordable Care Act plans (Obamacare).
The amount health insurers charge for coverage on the ACA Marketplaces is rising 26%, on average, in 2026.
In states that use Healthcare.gov, these premiums are rising an average of 30%.
Most enrollees would face even sharper increases in what they pay if the ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits expire.
Unfortunately, the ACA has been the single biggest factor in sky rocketing healthcare costs because it pushed more customers to the insurance companies while doing nothing to control costs of drugs, procedures, price-gouging hospital mark ups.
The Math…
Average family cost: $6,850 (worker’s share of premium) + $6,000 (OOP) + $1,886 (deductible) = $14,736.
Average family cost for self-employed, small / medium business owner: $26,993 + $6,000 (OOP) + $1,886 (deductible) = $34,879.
Key Takeaways…
The average employed American is paying nearly $15,000 / year in premiums and fees.
The average American small business owner is being penalized to the tune of $35,000 to cover their own family, and $20,000 per employee, by congress’ policies that only benefit health insurance corporations.
A Potential Solution: A Community Health Share.
What is a Health Share?
A structured community cost-sharing program where members voluntarily contribute monthly shares into a pooled system used to pay each other’s qualifying medical bills
Operates outside of the commercial insurance carrier model (no claim denial games, no utilization management bottleneck, no prior auth traps as default posture)
Fully transparent unit economics — members know exactly where money goes, cost to administer, and what % goes to care vs overhead
Member-directed, patient-centric, and physician aligned — not broker / carrier profit margin aligned.
Monthly membership contributions are based on actuarial predicted need — not artificially inflated CPT + PBM + plan premium stack
Advantages of a Health Share over Commercial Insurance
Removes the insurance carrier middleman and massive corporate overhead layers
Eliminates adversarial claim denial incentive
No forced closed HMO / restricted PPO networks
Financially predictable — no $9,000-$12,500 annual deductible games before the plan even pays $1
Faster & better access → better continuity → less fragmentation
System is built around early detection, prevention, and physician relationship → not event monetization
Allows for alternative payment structures (global cancer episode bundle, maternity bundle, lifestyle reversal programs) that insurance actively blocks
Cost Savings Compared to Insurance in 2025
Commercial insurance premiums for a single member 2025 are projected to average $9,500 – $10,800/year (and >$26k/year family)
Annual out-of-pocket max averages $10k-$12.5k BEFORE real coverage kicks in
Health share membership typically ranges $2,500 – $4,500/year for an individual and $6,500 – $9,500/year for a family depending on tier
Total annual economic delta potential:
Individual Savings: $6,000 – $8,000/year
Family Savings: $15,000 – $18,000/year
Typical total system spend reduction vs insured model: 45% – 65%