One in Four U.S. Workers Report Job Lock Due to Health Insurance, Marking Sharp Rise Since 2021
Key Insights
Nearly one in four U.S. workers (24%), approximately 23 million adults, report staying in unwanted jobs to maintain employer-sponsored health insurance, an eight-percentage-point increase since 2021.
Workers with medical debt (44%), three or more chronic conditions (41%), or those experiencing healthcare-related financial stress (48%) show significantly higher rates of job lock.
Women are more likely than men to report job lock (30% vs. 20%), correlating with higher rates of medical debt, financial stress, and multiple chronic conditions.
Nearly one in four U.S. workers who rely on employer-sponsored health insurance report staying in jobs they would prefer to leave, driven by fear of losing their health coverage, according to a new study from the West Health (search)-Gallup (search) Center on Healthcare in America. The nationally representative survey, conducted between October 27 and December 22, 2025, with 2,322 employed respondents, found that 24% of workers — approximately 23 million adults — are experiencing what researchers call "job lock," an eight-percentage-point increase from 16% in 2021.
"Anybody having to stay in a job just to keep their health insurance, knowing that they want to leave, is crazy," said Ellyn Maese, research director for the West Health (search)-Gallup (search) Center. "That is a concerning figure, even if it's 10%. But when we're seeing it rise to 1 in 4 employees, that's pretty serious."
Financial Strain Amplifies the Problem
The survey reveals a strong association between healthcare-related financial strain and job lock. Among workers who report personal or household medical debt, 44% say they are staying in an unwanted job for insurance — more than double the rate among those without medical debt (21%). Similarly, 37% of those who borrowed money in the past year to pay for healthcare expenses report job lock, compared with 22% among those who have not.
Nearly half of respondents who characterize healthcare expenses as a "major financial burden" (48%) report staying in jobs to maintain health insurance, and the figure climbs to 53% among those who experience "a lot of stress" in their daily lives due to healthcare costs.
Rates of job lock peak at 27% among households earning between $48,000 and less than $90,000 annually, and tend to decline among higher-income earners.
Chronic Disease Burden and Job Lock
The link between chronic conditions and job lock is particularly pronounced. Workers diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions — excluding high blood pressure or high cholesterol — are more likely to report job lock than those without such diagnoses (29% vs. 17%). Among those with three or more chronic conditions, the rate reaches 41%.
Specific conditions associated with elevated job lock include asthma (search) (29%), immune-compromising conditions (36%), depression (search) (35%), and anxiety (search) (33%) — conditions that often require ongoing or intensive care.
Gender Disparities Emerge
Women are significantly more likely than men to report staying in unwanted jobs for health benefits (30% vs. 20%). The survey data suggest this disparity may be driven by broader gaps: women are more likely than men to report financial stress due to healthcare expenses (56% vs. 44%), to carry medical debt (22% vs. 12%), and to have multiple chronic conditions (66% vs. 57%).
Broader Healthcare Affordability Context
The rise in job lock coincides with mounting healthcare affordability challenges. Approximately half of Americans report difficulty consistently paying for needed medical care or prescriptions, and 51% say they are worried about their ability to afford healthcare over the next 12 months — the highest level in five years.
"Healthcare tops the list of economic worries right now," said Larry Levitt, executive vice president for health policy at KFF (search). "So it stands to reason that people would be concerned about leaving an unwanted job for fear of losing their health insurance."
The findings may be compounded by broader pessimism about the labor market. A May 2025 Gallup (search) poll found that just 28% of U.S. workers believed it was a good time to find a job, the lowest level since 2013.
Policy Implications
The expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies in 2025 has further complicated the landscape. These subsidies, introduced in 2021, provided financial assistance to middle-income individuals purchasing insurance through ACA marketplaces. Levitt noted that the expiration has contributed to increased costs and more workers feeling stuck in jobs they might otherwise leave.
Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute (search), acknowledged the problem: "Everyone acknowledges that job lock is real. Whether the extent of job lock is 8%, 24%, or something else, favoring employer-sponsored health insurance creates coverage gaps, reduces income mobility, and is crying out for reform."
Maese emphasized the plight of middle-class workers who are "stuck in the middle, where they don't really qualify for assistance, but they also don't make enough to be able to catch up with the rising costs of healthcare."
The consequences of job lock extend beyond individual dissatisfaction. The report notes that job lock has been linked to lower life satisfaction, poorer overall wellbeing, higher rates of occupational injury, and reduced labor market efficiency, upward mobility, and quality of life. "Leaving, moving, becoming entrepreneurs — that's what we need to see for our economy to really thrive," Maese said.