<p>If your health insurance costs went up again this year, you are not imagining it — and you are not alone. According to research from Mercer, the total cost of employer-sponsored health plans per employee is projected to increase by 6.5% in 2026, the highest rate of increase in over a decade. For families without access to employer-sponsored coverage, the situation is even more acute.</p>
<p>The ACA premium subsidies that helped keep marketplace plan costs artificially low for millions of Americans expired at the end of 2025. For households earning above the subsidy threshold, the full, unsubsidized cost of a marketplace plan is now fully visible. And it is not pretty.</p>
<h2>What Are People Actually Paying?</h2>
<p>A 45-year-old individual purchasing an unsubsidized Silver plan on the ACA marketplace in 2026 can expect to pay $600–$900 per month in premiums, depending on their state. A family of four with parents in their early 40s is looking at $1,600–$2,400 per month. That is before the deductible. The average deductible for a Silver plan is approximately $4,500 for an individual and $9,000 for a family — meaning a family could pay $28,800 in annual premiums and still owe the first $9,000 of their medical bills out of pocket.</p>
<h2>Why Costs Keep Rising</h2>
<p>The drivers of health insurance premium increases are well-documented and show no signs of reversing. Hospital consolidation has reduced competition and driven up the cost of care. Pharmaceutical prices continue to rise faster than inflation. Administrative overhead in the insurance system consumes roughly 30 cents of every premium dollar. Insurance companies pass these costs directly to consumers through higher premiums, higher deductibles, narrower networks, and more aggressive prior authorization requirements.</p>
<h2>What HealthShare Offers Instead</h2>
<p>HealthShare programs operate on a fundamentally different model. Instead of paying premiums to an insurance company that profits from denying claims, members contribute monthly to a shared pool that pays eligible medical costs directly. There are no shareholders. There is no profit motive in denying your claim. The cost difference is significant — a family of four that might pay $2,000 per month for an ACA Silver plan could pay $600–$800 per month for Zion HealthShare membership, a savings of $14,400–$16,800 per year.</p>
<p>The tradeoff is that HealthShare is not insurance. It does not cover pre-existing conditions immediately (there is typically a 12–24 month phase-in period), and it does not cover elective procedures or experimental treatments. For healthy individuals and families who primarily need protection against unexpected major medical events, HealthShare provides that protection at a fraction of the cost.</p>
<h2>The Math for a Typical Self-Employed Family</h2>
<p>Consider a self-employed couple in their late 30s with two children. Their unsubsidized ACA Silver plan costs $1,800 per month with a $9,000 family deductible. With Zion HealthShare's Essential Membership at a $2,500 IUA, the same family might pay approximately $650–$750 per month — a savings of roughly $1,100 per month, or $13,200 per year. Use the rate calculator on this site to run your own numbers. The comparison is often more compelling than people expect.</p>
<h2>What to Do Right Now</h2>
<p>If your health insurance renewal is coming up — or if you are currently uninsured because you cannot afford the premiums — HealthShare is worth a serious look. The enrollment process is simple, there is no open enrollment window to wait for, and you can have coverage in place within days. <a href="https://zionhealthshare.org/?affiliate=170039" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Start your enrollment at Zion HealthShare today.</a></p>