Having access to health insurance is no small matter for a worker, allowing them some peace of mind over their future. Employer-sponsored health insurance is one of the most valuable benefits that an organization can offer, but on the other hand, it can occasionally cause employers to feel stuck in a job they don’t enjoy.
Ask any employee, and most will admit that there are often more reasons to quit a job and run off into the sunset than to stay. Of the many reasons that employees stay locked onto their jobs, health insurance is a surprisingly common explanation. Almost 24% of US workers, or 23 million adults, are staying in jobs that they want to leave, all because they want to maintain access to their employer-sponsored health insurance.
A new report from West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America found that the share of workers experiencing this “job lock” rose 8 percentage points from 16% in 2021. This may be a good reason for employers to keep supporting workers and encourage retention, but it might also be a good opportunity to build a better work culture that gives workers more reasons to grow an attachment to their jobs.
Health insurance reliance causes many employees to stick to unwanted jobs. The solution isn’t less health care but more comprehensive support. (Image: Freepik)
One in Four Workers Stay At Their Jobs For Health Insurance: Is This a Good Thing?
The West Health-Gallup Center report on Healthcare in America analyzed data from 2,322 US adults between October 27 and December 22, 2025. The data didn’t just reveal employees staying at their jobs for their health insurance as a way of ensuring they had something to fall back on. Instead, the report found elevated rates of job lock among groups that were particularly vulnerable to medical issues in the near future. For instance, workers who were confronted with medical debt that they felt they would be unable to pay off over the next 12 months were twice as likely to stay in a job they didn’t like for the health insurance.
It stands to reason that those with multiple chronic conditions or complex health concerns like asthma, immune-compromising conditions, and even depression also showed an elevated likelihood of staging on the job for health insurance. Thirty-seven percent of people who have borrowed money in the past year also report an elevated experience of job lock, while 48% of Americans who perceived healthcare costs as a major financial burden found themselves locked in jobs that they did not want, solely due to the fear of something bad happening to them abruptly that requires health insurance.
There are certain gendered differences to consider as well. Women are more likely to stay at their jobs for health insurance, 30% of them as opposed to 20% of men. Much of this has to do with their elevated healthcare-related financial stress, medical debt, and experience with multiple chronic conditions. These conditions make them more vulnerable to job lock, tied to roles where they might feel unsupported on multiple fronts, other than the availability of health insurance.
What Does This Data on Health Insurance Considerations Mean For Employers?
The West Health-Gallup health insurance report makes it clear that the workforce is collectively battling with rising economic concerns, in which health-related struggles play a major role. Access to health insurance on the job is a benefit that employees truly appreciate, regardless of their other concerns about the job. Over 5 million Americans have lost access to their own health insurance this year, after the government ceased subsidies for enrollees under the Affordable Care Act. This makes the reliance on employer-supported healthcare unsurprising.
“Health insurance continues to play an important role in how Americans navigate the labor market,” Joe Daly, Global Managing Partner at Gallup, explained in the report. “As job lock has become more common among workers with employer-sponsored coverage since 2021, the findings offer insight into how healthcare benefits may factor into decisions about staying in a job or pursuing other opportunities.”
Employers that do offer health insurance as a benefit can be certain to attract top talent to their organization, promising a degree of economic stability and relief over health-related concerns. The broader the spectrum of coverage, the more appreciative the employee. At the same time, the dissatisfaction of employees within other facets of operations cannot be ignored. Unhappy employees are rarely at their productive best, suppressing multiple points of complaint just to ensure that they do not get eliminated from the organization and lose access to their benefits.
Build Retention on More than Reluctance
While there’s a large need for the government to look into making health care more accessible to the workforce to ease the burden of expense on both employers and employees, it is best not to count on any immediate changes in this regard. If employees are retained out of helplessness and not an active desire to participate in the business, their contributions will often start and end with only doing what is necessary. Employees with medical conditions can be supported through other accommodations as well, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in their role.
With health anxiety on the rise, insurance isn’t the only way to support employee well-being. Access to a nutritionist, healthy meal plans within the workplace, recreational facilities, on-site clinics, and regular conversations on health and wellness can go a long way in alleviating some of the stress that employees are confronted with.
Employees without immediate health concerns can also benefit from a work culture and operations standards that make them more enthusiastic about their jobs. Aspects such as balanced workloads, reasonable work hours, and considerate sick leave policies are just some of the ways to continue building a culture around the well-being of workers. Assisting the workforce requires employers to listen and watch closely to understand what pushes them to perform, and the data is a pathway towards creating opportunities that benefit everyone.
Does health insurance also drive you to stay at your job, or are there other factors that take precedence? Share your experience with us. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.
