A Willis Towers Watson survey of 6,000 U.S. employees found that financial security fell from 46% to 36% in 2026, its lowest level in seven years. About one-third of workers said they delayed or skipped medical or dental care over cost during the past year, including people with health insurance. Employees in their 40s reported the lowest financial security, and more than 40% in that age group said they put off or skipped care. Respondents also linked healthcare expenses to difficulty saving for retirement. The findings describe reported costs and choices, not a new government policy, and the material identifies no fees, forms, compliance rules or deadlines.
TLDR: WTW reports a seven-year low in employee financial security and says many workers have delayed or skipped care because of cost, even with insurance. The survey identifies high deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses as barriers but describes no new government policy or implementation schedule.
Financial security among U.S. employees fell to its lowest level in seven years in 2026, while many workers reported delaying or skipping medical and dental appointments because of cost, according to research by benefits company Willis Towers Watson. The findings point to a practical strain: health insurance does not always make care affordable when deductibles and out-of-pocket costs are high.
The survey’s stated purpose was to measure employees’ financial security and well-being, not to assess a government policy. It offers no official policy rationale or proposed government response. The results instead document workers’ reported experiences with household finances, healthcare costs, retirement expectations and job performance.
WTW surveyed 6,000 U.S. employees. The share who said they felt financially secure dropped from 46% to 36% in 2026, the lowest level in seven years. The firm said employees reported feeling better physically and described improved social connections, even as their financial well-being moved in the other direction.
Healthcare decisions were among the areas affected. Across age groups, about one-third of employees said they had put off or skipped a medical or dental appointment during the past year because of cost. Respondents reported doing so despite having health insurance, a distinction that shows coverage alone does not necessarily remove the immediate expense faced by patients.
Courtney Stubblefield, a health and benefits practice leader at WTW, told CBS News that employees face high deductibles and high out-of-pocket costs. She said those features can become barriers to receiving needed care. The survey excerpt does not specify the dollar amounts of deductibles or expenses, or identify particular health plans.
Workers in their 40s reported the weakest financial security among the age groups covered. Just 30% said they felt financially secure, compared with half of workers aged 60 and older. More than 40% of employees in their 40s said they had delayed or skipped medical care over money concerns, the highest share among the age groups.
Stubblefield said many mid-career workers carry several family responsibilities at once. They may have children, need family health coverage and help care for aging parents. She described the period as one of peak obligations, with some workers also supporting children in school or approaching college. The survey material does not provide a separate estimate of the healthcare costs associated with those responsibilities.
Retirement expectations are also a concern in the WTW findings. Roughly two in three employees said they expected to be worse off in retirement than their parents’ generation. Respondents cited healthcare costs as a barrier to saving, linking current expenses with concern about future financial security.
Separate research from Prudential Financial found that more than six in 10 retirees with at least $500,000 in investable assets did not feel comfortable spending money for enjoyment. Many cited inflation, the rising cost of living and healthcare expenses as reasons to limit entertainment spending. That finding concerns retirees with substantial investable assets, and it does not establish how all retirees manage their budgets.
Federal Reserve data cited in the report show a different pattern for some older households. The 18 million households headed by someone aged 75 or older had the highest median net worth among age groups nationwide, with a median of $504,000 in 2025. Households headed by people aged 65 to 74 saw wealth rise 37% between 2022 and 2025, according to the Fed. Those figures describe household wealth and do not erase the reported concerns about healthcare costs or spending confidence.
The practical impact in the WTW survey is clear: employees with insurance still reported postponing or skipping medical and dental care, and high deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses were identified as barriers. The survey gives no specific fees, forms, compliance rules, enforcement actions or deadlines because it describes no new policy. It also does not say that every worker delayed care or quantify the medical effects of those delays.
The findings are survey results, not a government program or a set of rules with an implementation schedule. No new deadlines or oversight process appear in the material. The next step described by the available evidence is continued measurement: the survey documents how workers report their financial security, healthcare choices and retirement outlook, while the reasons and costs remain central details in those reports.
Ryan Mitchell serves as a Staff Writer for Just Right News, where he anchors the desk for Cyber, Technology Policy, and Digital Sovereignty. In an era where the digital landscape has become as much a battlefield as any physical territory, Ryan provides a critical conservative lens on the forces shaping the future of American innovation and national security. His work is defined by a commitment to the idea that American leadership in the digital age is not just a matter of economic success, but a necessity for the preservation of global liberty.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Ryan’s perspective is deeply rooted in the Lone Star State’s tradition of independence and skepticism of centralized authority. Growing up in a city that transformed from a quiet state capital into a global technology hub, he witnessed firsthand the disruptive power of the tech industry. This upbringing instilled in him a firm belief in free-market principles and the necessity of protecting individual liberties from both government overreach and corporate overstep. His Texan background serves as a foundational compass, guiding his reporting toward stories that emphasize national resilience and the preservation of constitutional values in an increasingly virtual world.
Now based in San Francisco, California, Ryan operates from the epicenter of the very industry he scrutinizes. Living and working in the heart of Silicon Valley allows him to provide “boots on the ground” reporting that few conservative journalists can match. He navigates the cultural and political complexities of the Bay Area to bring Just Right News readers an inside look at the boardrooms and coding labs where the next generation of digital policy is forged. For Ryan, being stationed in San Francisco is a strategic choice; it allows him to challenge the prevailing ideological monoculture of the tech elite from within their own backyard, ensuring that the concerns of middle America are represented in the conversation about our digital future.
His beat—Cyber, Technology Policy, and Digital Sovereignty—covers the high-stakes world of data privacy, artificial intelligence, and the infrastructure of the modern web. Ryan is particularly focused on the concept of digital sovereignty, arguing that for a nation to remain truly free, it must maintain control over its own technological destiny and critical infrastructure. He frequently explores how international regulations and domestic policies impact the ability of American firms to compete without sacrificing the privacy or security of their citizens.
Central to his current body of work is his featured series, “The New Cold War.” Through this project, Ryan examines the escalating technological rivalry between the United States and its global adversaries. He delves into the complexities of state-sponsored hacking, the global race for semiconductor dominance, and the ideological struggle to define the rules of the internet. Ryan views this competition not merely as a commercial race, but as a fundamental defense of Western values against authoritarian digital models. Through his rigorous reporting and principled analysis, Ryan Mitchell ensures that the readers of Just Right News stay informed about the invisible forces defining the 21st century, always advocating for a future where technology serves the cause of freedom.