KFF published its 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, the long-running annual benchmark HR and benefits leaders use to track premium growth, deductibles, and plan design across the U.S. employer market. The release lands as benefits teams finalize 2026 plan choices and prepare for fall open enrollment.

The Kaiser Family Foundation survey, conducted in partnership with the Health Research & Educational Trust, has polled employers each year since 1999 and remains the most-cited data set on U.S. employer-sponsored coverage. HR executives typically use the report to benchmark their own renewals against national, regional, and industry medians.

What HR teams will pull first

Premium trends sit at the top of every benefits leader's reading list. The report breaks premiums down by plan type — single and family coverage, HDHP and PPO — and by firm size, giving benefits teams a direct comparison to their own renewal quotes. Deductible levels come next. The survey tracks general annual deductibles for single and family coverage and separates HDHP deductibles from broader PPO and HMO offerings.

For 2025, benefits leaders will compare the national figures against their own plan designs to see whether employee out-of-pocket exposure is rising faster or slower than premiums. Those two data points typically frame the rest of the renewal conversation with brokers and carriers.

Plan design, cost sharing, and benefits mix

Beyond premiums and deductibles, the report tracks employer premium contributions, out-of-pocket maximums, copay and coinsurance structures, and the share of firms offering each plan type. HR teams use those figures to pressure-test decisions about plan mix, HDHP/HSA pairings, and tiered-network options. The survey also captures wellness programs, mental health coverage, telehealth offerings, and family-building benefits — categories that have drawn more regulatory and employee-experience scrutiny since 2023.

State-level mandates on fertility coverage, mental health parity enforcement, and paid leave have reshaped what HR teams are expected to offer. The KFF report's national adoption rates give benefits leaders a baseline to flag where their programs are ahead of, or behind, the market.

Methodology and how to read the data

KFF publishes the full methodology — including sample size, response rate, and margin of error — alongside the report. HR teams should confirm those details before quoting specific figures in board materials, employee communications, or renewal negotiations. The foundation typically posts the full report, a summary of findings, and interactive charts on its employer health benefits page, with prior-year data available for trend lines.

How it fits with other fall surveys

The KFF release is the first major data drop of the benefits survey season. Mercer, WTW, and Aon typically publish their own employer benefit surveys in October and November, with each consultancy slicing the data through its own lens. KFF's report sets the baseline against which brokers frame renewals, and benefits leaders who haven't downloaded it should do so before locking in 2026 plan design and employee communications.

The bottom line

KFF's 2025 survey gives HR leaders the comparison point they need heading into 2026 planning. The specific 2025 premium, deductible, and plan-mix figures will live inside the KFF report itself, and benefits leaders should pull those numbers directly from the source before citing them in any internal or external materials.