The American Health Insurance Crisis
My Story Our medical insurance premiums went up by 35% for 2026. We have a middle-of-the-road plan that tries to balance all the different factors. We don't qualify for ACA subsidies and going through the open market is cheaper than getting a small group plan for my wife's business. Because a small group plan is so expensive, all of her employees must go through the open market or have medical insurance through their spouse's workplace. Our medical premiums going up significantly is not a new trend. My health insurance has been getting more costly for 40 years. When I first started working, medical coverage was entirely provided by my employer. Over time it became more costly and my employer began sharing the cost with employees. That is, the company paid for part of the coverage and employees had to pay the rest. In an effort to defray the cost, the percentage paid by employees rose. Over my 40-year career there were a couple of times where I was between jobs due to layoff...