1 in 4 American workers report staying in unwanted jobs for health insurance
· Medical Xpressedited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Nearly one in four U.S. workers (24%) say they are currently in jobs they want to quit but stay with their employer for the health insurance, according to new research from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America. The share of workers experiencing "job lock" has increased steadily, rising 8 percentage points since 2021, suggesting health insurance coverage is becoming a major consideration in career decisions and economic mobility.
Among workers holding personal or household medical debt (20%), 44% say they are more than twice as likely to stay in unwanted jobs because they fear losing their health insurance, compared with 21% of other workers. People who borrowed money in the past year were also significantly more likely to report job lock (37% vs. 22%).
Beyond current debt holders or new borrowers, nearly half (48%) of Americans who consider health care costs a major financial burden also find themselves locked in jobs they do not want out of fear that something might happen that would require health insurance. The same is true for a majority of workers (53%) who report experiencing "a lot" of daily stress related to the cost of health care.
"That so many Americans feel compelled to stay in jobs they no longer want simply to keep their health insurance underscores how health care affordability influences decisions far beyond any immediate or future illness or condition," said Tim Lash, president of West Health Policy Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on health care and aging policy.
"No one should have to choose between seeking a better opportunity or maintaining access to health insurance. Yet for millions of Americans, the high cost of health care has left them facing this exact choice."
According to data from the recent West Health-Gallup Affordability Index, just 49% of U.S. adults say they can afford access to quality care and have been able to pay for physician and clinic visits and prescription drugs in recent months—the first time in five years that fewer than half of Americans report being able to consistently afford health care.
Chronic conditions increase reliance on employer coverage
Workers with chronic health conditions experience job lock at higher levels than healthier workers (29% vs. 17%), with the incidence of job lock increasing as a person's number of chronic conditions increases. More than 40% of workers with three or more chronic conditions report remaining in unwanted jobs for insurance coverage.
Elevated rates are also seen among those with conditions that often require ongoing or intensive treatment, such as asthma (29%) and immune-compromising conditions (36%). Workers with depression and anxiety also report higher-than-average levels of job lock (35% and 33%, respectively).
Women more likely to experience job lock
Women are more likely to report staying in a job they would prefer to leave to maintain their health insurance. Three in 10 report this situation, compared with 20% of men. The gender gap coincides with broader disparities in health care-related burdens. Women are more likely to report health care-related financial stress (56%), medical debt (22%) and multiple chronic conditions (66%), all factors that may contribute to higher rates of job lock.
"Health insurance continues to play an important role in how Americans navigate the labor market," said Joe Daly, global managing partner at Gallup. "As job lock has become more common among workers with employer-sponsored coverage since 2021, the findings offer insight into how health care benefits may factor into decisions about staying in a job or pursuing other opportunities."
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Health InsuranceMedical DebtAsthma Provided by West Health Institute Who's behind this story?
Sadie Harley
BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →
Andrew Zinin
Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →
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