Study: Nearly 1 in 4 Workers Stay Locked in Jobs for Health Benefits
Nearly 1 in 4 U.S. workers (24%), which is the equivalent of about 23 million adults, report “job lock” — staying in their current job, even though they want to leave, because they are afraid of losing their health insurance — according to a Gallup study.
The findings represent an 8-percentage point increase since 2021.
The nationally representative research by Gallup was conducted in partnership with West Health through the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America.
Job lock is on the rise amid broader healthcare affordability challenges. About half of Americans report difficulty consistently paying for medical care or prescriptions, and 51% are worried about their ability to afford healthcare over the next 12 months, the highest level in five years.
Not surprisingly, U.S. workers facing financial strain related to healthcare expenses are significantly more likely to report feeling stuck in their jobs to keep health insurance benefits. Among those who report personal or household medical debt, 44% say they are staying in an unwanted job for insurance, more than double the rate of those without medical debt (21%).
Those who have borrowed money in the past year to pay for healthcare expenses are also more likely to report staying in unwanted jobs (37% among those who have borrowed vs. 22% among those who have not).
Even more striking, nearly half of those who report healthcare expenses as a “major financial burden” (48%) say they are staying in a job to maintain their health insurance. The same is true for 53% of individuals who experience “a lot of stress” in their daily lives due to the cost of healthcare.
Rates of job lock peak at 27% among those in households earning $48,000 to less than $90,000 a year and tend to be lower among those earning higher incomes.
U.S. workers who report having been diagnosed with one or more chronic conditions (aside from high blood pressure or high cholesterol) are more likely to report job lock (29% vs. 17%, respectively). Those reporting three or more diagnoses are the most likely to stay in jobs for insurance benefits (41%).