Employer Plans in 2022: Premium Growth Remains Steady, Mental Health Concerns Employers

The average annual premium for employer-sponsored health insurance in 2022 was $7,911 for single coverage and $22,463 for family coverage, similar to the average premiums last year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation 2022 Employer Health Benefits Survey. On average, employees contributed 17% toward single coverage premiums and 28% toward family coverage premiums. Among employees at small firms, 33% of them chose a plan where the employer paid the entire premium for single coverage, compared with only 6% at large firms. Meanwhile, 31% of small firm workers were in a plan that required them to contribute more than half of the premium for family coverage.

In 2022, preferred provider organization (PPO) plans remained the most common plan type, with almost half of covered workers enrolling in such a plan. For workers with single coverage in a plan with a general annual deductible, the average deductible was $1,763, similar to last year ($1,669). In most plan types, the average deductibles for single coverage were higher for employees in small firms than large firms. Moreover, the share of covered workers with a general annual deductible of $2,000 or more for single coverage jumped to 32% this year across all firms, with almost half of workers in small firms paying more than a $2,000 deductible.

In recent years, many firms offered benefits including health risk assessments, biometric screenings and health promotion programs. Large firms were more likely to offer such benefits than small firms in 2022. Among those large firms, 85% offered specific wellness programs this year, yet the share of firms offering health risk assessments and biometric screening both declined compared with 2017.

About 66% of firms offering health benefits were very satisfied or satisfied with the overall cost of care for their employees. Employers also reported taking steps to improve access to mental and behavioral health care and meet the increasing demand for these services. Among firms with 50 or more workers, 22% of small firms and 48% of large firms said that the percentage of employees receiving mental health services increased in the last year. Employers also recognized the importance of telemedicine in providing access to behavioral health care. Looking forward, 36% of small firms considered telemedicine “very important” and another 31% viewed telemedicine as “important” in providing access to behavioral health services. Overall, about 13% of firms said they expanded the availability of mental health care by adding new virtual providers in 2022.

NOTES: Small firms have 3-199 workers and large firms have 200 or more workers. HMO is a health maintenance organization. PPO is a preferred provider organization. POS is a point-of-service plan. HDHP/SO is a high-deductible health plan with a savings option. HRA is a health reimbursement arrangement. HSA is a health savings account.

SOURCE: Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey, 2022.

This infographic was reprinted from AIS Health’s weekly publication Health Plan Weekly.

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