Across the U.S., 7% of healthcare workers were uninsured in 2024, according to a KFF Health News report published Sept. 20 in The Washington Post.
KFF‘s analysis was based on recent American Community Survey data. Fewer physicians opted out of coverage, though, with only 2% going uninsured in 2024. Looking at adults overall under 65 years old, 11% were uninsured.
Workers with employer-sponsored or marketplace insurance are feeling pressure amid an elevated medical cost trend and policy changes. A 2025 KFF survey on employer health benefits determined family premiums were 6% higher than the previous year. Workers contributed $6,850 annually on average out of the overall $26,993 average annual premium.
KFF reported that Joshua Durham, DO, and Ashley Durham, PharmD, run a family medicine practice in Boise, Idaho, and historically purchased coverage through the ACA for their family. However, this year, monthly premiums for comparable health coverage increased to nearly $1,600, they said. The couple is now paying for healthcare out of pocket, depending on $50,000 they put aside in a health savings account. They have since spent $9,000 for healthcare in 2026.
Compared to the prior year, marketplace enrollment was down 12% in February following the expiration of ACA enhanced premium tax credits. While retired healthcare executive Jill Kordick has not gone without health insurance, her premiums did increase from $75 to $800 per month after the expiration.
Ethics concerns arise as healthcare practitioners pivot away from coverage for themselves and their families, instead relying on their own medical knowledge, the report said. The American Medical Association generally advises against physicians treating themselves or their families, but Dr. Joshua Durham has acknowledged that is an option. He also gets free eye exams by offering free primary care to his optometrist, who also lacks health insurance.
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