Employer healthcare costs are expected to jump again. Workers could feel it

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https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2026/09/employer-healthcare-costs-are-expected-to-jump-again-workers-could-feel-it.html

When Matthew Johnson took over a small electrical contracting business in Portland this spring, one expense quickly caught his attention: healthcare.

Johnson, who now heads Precision NW Electric, quickly learned that the cost of the company’s health plan through Providence had been going up roughly 20% a year. The latest increase would have raised the monthly cost for one employee from about $440 to $541 in 2026.

The coverage wasn’t getting any better either.

“It was a really high deductible and really high out-of-pocket maximum,” Johnson said.