How much did a year of family health insurance from an employer (total premium) cost?
A year of family health insurance from an employer (total premium) cost $6,438 in 2000 and $26,993 in 2025: about 4.2 times as much.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose by 87%. That makes $6,438 in 2000 worth about $12,000 in 2025 money. So it got more expensive even after inflation: about 124% more, in real terms, than in 2000.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 2000 and 2010, when it went up 114%, from $6,438 to $13,770.
Family health insurance: price by year
| Year | Price | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $6,438 | $12,000 |
| 2010 | $13,770 | $20,300 |
| 2015 | $17,545 | $23,800 |
| 2020 | $21,342 | $26,500 |
| 2025 | $26,993 | $27,000 |
"In 2025 dollars" adjusts each amount for inflation with the CPI, so the years can be compared fairly. How this works.
Where the numbers come from
From KFF's yearly Employer Health Benefits Survey of US employers. A premium is the full yearly cost of a plan: the part the employer pays plus the part taken from the worker's pay.
Source: KFF: KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey (annual Summary of Findings and news releases). View the source.
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