The high cost of U.S. health insurance forces families into tough choices
A small‑business owner in his early 60s is paying nearly $5,000 a month for family coverage, a cost that represents more than a quarter of his pre‑tax earnings.
During recent travel, the author met a healthy, active man in his early 60s who runs a small business.
This year his family’s monthly health‑insurance premium climbed to nearly $5,000, which is more than one‑quarter of his pre‑tax income.
Facing that expense, he decided to keep coverage only for his wife and two children, hoping to remain healthy until he qualifies for Medicare.
He is not an isolated case. More than 27 million Americans lacked health insurance in 2024, and millions of others have policies with deductibles so high they cannot afford to use them.
The average employer‑sponsored family premium now stands at nearly $27,000 a year, underscoring the broader affordability crisis in the U.S. health‑care system.
These figures illustrate why many families are forced to make difficult decisions about who receives coverage and when.
