The West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America survey found that 24 percent of employees with employer-sponsored insurance feel trapped by their current jobs because of health coverage concerns. The share represents an 8-percentage-point increase from 2021.
The issue comes as Americans report growing pressure from medical expenses and uncertainty around access to affordable coverage. According to Ellyn Maese, research director at Gallup, the findings reflect broader research showing that some people are postponing major life decisions or choosing between health care costs and basic expenses such as food, utilities, and other living needs.
Gallup has also found that many Americans believe the current labor market is challenging for job seekers, with around seven in 10 respondents saying it is a bad time to find a job in the United States. At the same time, changes affecting Affordable Care Act marketplace subsidies and Medicaid have increased concerns about alternatives to employer-based insurance.
Medical Debt and Health Costs Increase Job Lock Among Workers
The Gallup poll showed that job lock is especially common among workers facing financial pressure from health care expenses. Among respondents with medical debt, 44 percent said they remained in unwanted jobs to keep their health insurance. The figure reached 53 percent among people reporting significant stress linked to health care costs.
Mark Pauly, a professor of health care management at the University of Pennsylvania, told Newsweek that the results may reflect the growing value of employer health benefits. He described workers as evaluating the overall package of wages and benefits when deciding whether to remain in a position.
According to Martin Gaynor, a professor of economics and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, changes to the ACA marketplace and Medicaid have made alternatives to employer-sponsored coverage more expensive and less accessible, encouraging some employees to stay with their current employers.
Health conditions also influenced workers’ decisions. The survey found that 29 percent of employees with chronic health conditions reported job lock, compared with 17 percent of those without chronic conditions. Workers with three or more diagnoses were the most likely to stay for insurance benefits, with 41 percent reporting that they felt unable to leave their jobs because of coverage concerns.
Women and Families Face Greater Pressure From Employer Coverage Concerns
The Gallup findings showed differences between men and women when it came to staying in jobs for health insurance benefits. Thirty percent of women reported job lock, compared with 20 percent of men.
Pauly told Newsweek that women of working age often use health insurance more than men. Gaynor said coverage related to pregnancy and childbirth can be particularly important for women, while single men are often less likely to view health insurance as a priority.
Maese also noted that women face greater challenges with health care affordability. She said this situation is linked with the fact that women’s wages continue to lag behind men’s on average, while recent analyses indicate that progress in reducing the gender wage gap has slowed or slightly reversed.
The survey was conducted between October 27 and December 22, 2025, and included 5,660 U.S. adults. The analysis focused on 2,322 employed adults who relied on employer-sponsored health insurance as their main source of coverage. Gallup reported a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points for this group.
Insurance Stress Varies Widely Across American States
A separate analysis by prescription savings platform NiceRx examined where Americans appear to face the most pressure around health insurance. The company found that more than 1.2 million people searched online for health insurance coverage in the previous month during its analysis period.
According to NiceRx, the ranking considered several factors, including uninsured populations, health insurance searches per 100,000 residents, and average annual employee contributions toward coverage. Florida ranked as the state with the highest insurance stress score, at 8.73 out of 10.
South Carolina followed with a score of 8.2, while Alabama scored 8.1, California scored 7.7, and Kansas scored 7.6. NiceRx also identified Texas as having the highest uninsured rate in the country, with 16.7 percent of residents lacking health coverage compared with a national average of 7.6 percent.
Other Southern states also recorded high uninsured rates, including Georgia at 12 percent, Oklahoma at 11.5 percent, and Florida at 10.9 percent. Idaho had the highest rate of health insurance-related internet searches, while Hawaii recorded the largest increase in employer-sponsored family coverage costs over the past decade, rising by 50.2 percent.
NiceRx said its analysis used information from the U.S. Census Bureau, KFF, and other sources to examine insurance coverage levels, uninsured rates, long-term premium growth, and demand for health insurance searches across all 50 states.
The broader economic impact of job lock was also highlighted by researchers. Maese said reduced job mobility can prevent workers from moving into positions that better match their skills and interests, while lower competition for employees may affect wages, innovation, and workplace conditions. She also noted that workers who feel trapped by concerns over losing coverage may experience higher stress, disengagement, and burnout, while employers may face effects linked to productivity, absenteeism, performance, and turnover costs.
