Open enrollment — the annual window when employees can adjust their benefits — may deliver sticker shock this year. Workers are likely to pay between 6% to 7% more for their 2026 employer-sponsored health insurance, more than double the current rate of inflation, according to a new analysis from consultant Mercer.

That means employees could pay about $2,400 next year for single coverage in an employer-provided preferred provider organization, or PPO, the most common type of medical plan, Mercer said. Families would likely face paycheck deductions of $8,900 a year for their coverage, according to the group, whose projections are based on a survey of more than 1,700 employers.

More working-age Americans receive health insurance through their employers than any other source, with about

See Full Page