EBRI Chartbook
Trends in Cost Sharing for Medical Services, 2013–2023
Summary
Where are workers facing more financial pressure in today’s health plans — and where might that pressure be easing? Using a decade of data from
the Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims Database and Benefit Plan
Design, this chartbook explores how enrollment has shifted
across plan types and how deductibles and copayments have changed for
key medical services from 2013–2023. The result is a revealing look
at how cost sharing in employment-based coverage is evolving and what
it may mean for affordability, access, and the worker experience.