A Family Health Plan Cost $6,438 in 2000. Today It’s $26,993.

That 319% increase is more than triple the pace of your paycheck.

Avg. Annual Family Health Insurance Premium

2000

$6,438

2005

$10,880

2010

$13,770

2015

$17,545

2020

$21,342

2025

$26,993

Includes employer + worker contributions. Median household income rose 99% over the same period.

Source: KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, 1999–2025

In 2000, the average family health plan through your employer cost $6,438 a year. Less than a decent used car. Today, that same coverage runs $26,993. That’s a 319% increase.

During that same stretch, the median household income went from about $42,000 to $84,000. A 99% increase. Pretty good... until you realize health insurance grew more than three times faster than wages.

Here’s what most people get wrong. They feel the squeeze, but they think everything went up at about the same pace. It didn’t. Since 2000, general inflation is up about 85%. Wages are up 99%. Health premiums? Up 319%. Nothing else in a family budget comes close.

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Chart of the Day — July 8, 2026 (Part 2)

Now... if you’re still working, your employer picks up about 74% of that premium. You might not feel the full $26,993. But it’s coming out of your total compensation either way. Every dollar your company spends on your health plan is a dollar that doesn’t go into your paycheck or your 401(k) match.

And here’s the part that really gets me. If you’re over 60 and buying your own coverage, it just got worse. ACA marketplace premiums jumped 26% this year alone after Congress let the enhanced tax credits expire. A 60-year-old couple earning $85,000 is now looking at $18,000 to $24,000 a year for a silver plan. Before copays. Before deductibles. Before prescriptions.

That’s the number that should be on every pre-retiree’s radar. Not “What’s the market doing?” Not “What’s my portfolio at?” But: “What’s healthcare going to cost me every single year for the next 20 years... if it keeps growing at 7% to 8%?”

The Takeaway

“The average family health plan went from $6,438 in 2000 to nearly $27,000 today — a 319% increase. Over that same 25 years, the median household income only doubled.”

If you’re within five years of retirement and haven’t stress-tested your healthcare budget at 7% to 8% annual growth, that’s worth a phone call to your advisor. Not next month. This week.

More tomorrow. Stay sharp.

— Ray Calloway

The $27,000 Your Employer Pays That Never Hits Your Bank Account

A Family Health Plan Cost $6,438 in 2000. Today It’s $26,993.

This Startup is Growing 23X Faster than Nvidia

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