Dollar General employees may face higher health costs in 2026

Dollar General workers could see more money come out of each paycheck next enrollment cycle if premiums, deductibles or copays move higher on the company’s 2026 health plans. The pressure lands hardest on employees covering spouses or children, and on anyone managing ongoing prescriptions, because even a small benefit change can cut directly into take-home pay.

What could change in your paycheck

The clearest sign of how these costs show up is already in Dollar General’s own limited medical coverage materials. One enrollment guide lists employee premium amounts of $18.30, $25.34 and $32.03 for different coverage levels, and the plan is paired with short-term disability coverage and optional dependent coverage. For a store associate living on a tight budget, those deductions may not sound large in isolation, but they can add up fast when combined with higher deductibles or higher copays at the pharmacy and doctor’s office.

Who is most exposed

Full-time workers who rely on company coverage are the first group to watch. They are the employees most likely to feel a premium change in every paycheck, and they are also the ones most likely to weigh whether the company plan still makes sense if their household needs change.

Family-plan enrollees face the biggest dollar swings. Dollar General’s benefits materials include optional dependent coverage, and any shift in a spouse or child’s enrollment can multiply the cost of coverage far faster than a change in single coverage. Employees managing chronic conditions are exposed in a different way: prescription tiers, doctor visit copays and specialty-drug costs can all rise even when the headline premium looks manageable.

Why health costs are rising now

Dollar General is not facing this in a vacuum. KFF’s 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey is a benchmark for tracking how employer-sponsored coverage is shifting, and prescription drug spending, including GLP-1 drugs, continued to push costs higher in late 2025. A separate benefits-industry report projected that U.S. employer health-care costs would surpass $17,000 per employee in 2026.

When overall health spending climbs, companies often respond with higher employee contributions, narrower network choices, higher deductibles or steeper drug cost-sharing. For Dollar General workers, that can show up as a larger payroll deduction first and a bigger out-of-pocket bill later.

What Dollar General already offers

Dollar General’s benefits communications have included a limited medical insurance option, short-term disability coverage and optional dependent coverage. The company’s package also includes wellness programs, disease management, financial wellness resources and employee discounts, all of which can soften the blow if medical costs rise elsewhere in the package.

Employees should use that mix to compare the total cost of coverage, not just the monthly premium. A lower premium can still leave a worker worse off if the deductible jumps or the prescription tier changes, while a slightly higher premium may be worthwhile if it protects a family from bigger out-of-pocket costs during the year.

What to check before enrollment opens

The most useful move is to review the full package before choices lock in. Dollar General directs employees to benefits information through its Here For Our Employees portal, and the plan administrator is listed in outside materials at 100 Mission Ridge, Goodlettsville, Tennessee 37072, with the general phone number (615) 855-4000.

Before enrolling, workers should look at:

• The monthly premium for each coverage level

• Whether the employer share or employee share changed

• The deductible and out-of-pocket maximum

• Copays for primary care, urgent care and prescriptions

• Drug tiers for any regular medication

• Whether a health savings account option is available

• Whether dependent coverage fits the household budget

• Whether wellness incentives or disease-management tools can reduce costs

For employees with ongoing medical needs, the prescription section deserves as much attention as the premium line. A plan that looks cheaper on the first page can cost more over the year if a common medication moves into a higher tier or if the deductible resets before benefits start paying meaningfully.

Deadlines and backup options

The federal marketplace gives workers a useful planning window. Open enrollment for plan year 2026 on HealthCare.gov begins November 1, 2025, and runs through January 15, 2026. For eligible enrollees, HealthCare.gov projects the average premium after tax credits at $50 per month for the lowest-cost 2026 plan, which gives workers a benchmark when they compare company coverage with outside options.

That timing matters for Dollar General employees who may need to make a fast decision once benefits materials land. If the company plan becomes too expensive for a household, the marketplace window can provide a fallback, especially for workers whose family situation or income makes them eligible for tax credits.

Why this hits Dollar General especially hard

In its 2025 corporate social responsibility report, Dollar General said it operated more than 20,800 stores across 48 U.S. states and five cities in Mexico, and it has served customers since its founding in 1939. That footprint means a single plan change can touch thousands of cashiers, stockers, assistant managers and district leaders spread across rural and suburban markets where wages are often stretched thin.

The company has also faced recurring scrutiny over wages, scheduling and safety.