2024 Employer Health Benefits Survey

The KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey is the authoritative annual census of employer-sponsored health insurance in the United States, covering premium trends, plan type distribution, employee cost sharing, self-funding prevalence, and benefit design details. The 2024 edition reports average annual premiums of $8,951 for single coverage and $25,572 for family coverage.

These numbers matter for cardiovascular care because employer-sponsored health insurance determines the access landscape for the majority of working-age Americans. The plan type — PPO, HMO, HDHP with HSA, POS — determines network breadth, prior authorization requirements, specialist access, and formulary design. The deductible level determines what patients pay out of pocket before coverage begins. For someone considering coronary CT angiography, a PCSK9 inhibitor, or a consultation with a lipid specialist, the employer benefit design is the single most important structural determinant of whether they access that care.

The 2024 edition adds a new section on GLP-1 drug coverage for weight loss — reflecting growing recognition that employer coverage of obesity medications affects cardiovascular event rates in high-risk populations. As GLP-1 receptor agonists demonstrate cardiovascular benefit (SELECT trial: semaglutide reduced major cardiovascular events by 20% in patients with obesity and established CVD), employer formulary decisions become clinically relevant cardiovascular policy decisions.

High-deductible health plan enrollment continues to grow. More than half of covered workers are in plans with deductibles of $1,000 or more. For employees in high-deductible plans without HSA balances, the first several thousand dollars of cardiovascular diagnostic and therapeutic costs are unshared — a barrier that reduces utilization of preventive tests and delays initiation of specialist-prescribed medications.

We rate the evidence strong. The 2024 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey provides authoritative data on the employer insurance landscape that shapes cardiovascular care access for the majority of working-age Americans — essential context for understanding who can and cannot access evidence-based cardiovascular prevention.