In the first entry in a series for STAT News, “Out of Pocket, Out of Reach,” reporter Bob Herman showed that since 1987, the cost of health insurance for employers and workers has risen by 979% while overall inflation in that time rose by 176%, an increase of more than 450%. Such huge increases are harming workers and businesses of all sizes, as his reporting demonstrates.
About 80% of companies with fewer than 200 workers offered health insurance in the late 1990s, he reported, while only 59% do so today. Instead, workers are steered toward the Affordable Care Act Marketplace, where they pay higher premiums than ever. Mid-sized and large employers cut staff when health insurance costs rise. When employers cut staff, communities suffer as unemployment rises, leading to suicides and drug and alcohol abuse, researchers have reported.
Join Bob Herman and Joe Burns, AHCJ’s Health Beat Leader for Health Policy and Insurance, for a conversation and Q&A about a topic that applies to every town, city and state as small businesses struggle with rising insurance costs and employees face daunting financial decisions.
August 19 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT
Joseph Burns
AHCJ Health Beat Leader for Health Policy, Insurance
Joseph Burns is AHCJ’s health beat leader on health policy and insurance. He’s an independent journalist based in Brewster, Mass., who has covered health care, health policy and the business of care since 1991. Burns has written for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, Fortune, Hospitals & Health Networks, and Medical Economics, among others.
Early in his journalism career, Burns worked as a reporter in Connecticut, first for The Wallingford Post (a weekly), and then The Meriden Record-Journal (a daily), and later for The Hartford Courant (the largest daily newspaper in the state and the nation’s oldest newspaper). For The Courant, he was a reporter, copy editor and regional news editor. During this time, he also taught news writing at the University of Connecticut.
Bob Herman
Business of Health Care Reporter, STAT
Bob Herman covers the money in health care, focusing on health insurance and hospitals. His stories delve into Medicare Advantage, opaque prescription drug benefits, and how much executives actually make. He was named a Pulitzer co-finalist in 2024 for the series “Denied by AI.” He co-won a 2025 George Polk Award for the series “Health Care’s Colossus.” Bob also writes the weekly Health Care Inc. newsletter.
Before joining STAT in 2022, Bob worked at Axios and Modern Healthcare. He graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis. He lives in Indiana and is obsessed with basketball and running.