This year, for the first time, employers are generally passing on all their health insurance rate increases to employees, while more than one-quarter of employees are now in high-deductible policies, according to a report by Kaiser Health News.
A new survey, released by Kaiser Family Foundation, finds the share of the premium paid by employees in 2010 jumped 3 percentage points, to 30 percent of the total premium.
In past years, employers typically have shared increases in health costs with workers, but this year, employers' contribution to the premium remained flat on average, the survey found.
There are signs the trend could continue next year. A survey by the National Business Group on Health found 63 percent of large employers planned to increase the proportion that employees contribute to their premiums in 2011.
Use of high-deductible policies surges
The survey also found about 27 percent of employees now face deductibles of at least $1,000 a year, up from 22 percent in 2009 and 12 percent in 2007.
Recent increases in health costs have far outstripped inflation. This year, employees are paying an average of $3,997 as their share of the family premiums, almost 25 percent more than in 2006 and twice as much as in 2001, the Kaiser survey found.
"This is a growing reflection that costs are unaffordable and the general state of the economy," said Helen Darling, president of the group. She said the trend could lead employees not to cover their dependents.
Read the Kaiser Health News report on health insurance.
Learn more about health insurance rate hikes.
WellPoint Explains High Rate Increases for Individual Insurance
States to Receive $250M to Fight Insurance Rate Hikes
AMA Study: Competition in Health Insurance Industry Disappearing
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/news-analysis/ama-study-competition-in-health-insurance-industry-disappearing.html
A new survey, released by Kaiser Family Foundation, finds the share of the premium paid by employees in 2010 jumped 3 percentage points, to 30 percent of the total premium.
In past years, employers typically have shared increases in health costs with workers, but this year, employers' contribution to the premium remained flat on average, the survey found.
There are signs the trend could continue next year. A survey by the National Business Group on Health found 63 percent of large employers planned to increase the proportion that employees contribute to their premiums in 2011.
Use of high-deductible policies surges
The survey also found about 27 percent of employees now face deductibles of at least $1,000 a year, up from 22 percent in 2009 and 12 percent in 2007.
Recent increases in health costs have far outstripped inflation. This year, employees are paying an average of $3,997 as their share of the family premiums, almost 25 percent more than in 2006 and twice as much as in 2001, the Kaiser survey found.
"This is a growing reflection that costs are unaffordable and the general state of the economy," said Helen Darling, president of the group. She said the trend could lead employees not to cover their dependents.
Read the Kaiser Health News report on health insurance.
Learn more about health insurance rate hikes.
WellPoint Explains High Rate Increases for Individual Insurance
States to Receive $250M to Fight Insurance Rate Hikes
AMA Study: Competition in Health Insurance Industry Disappearing
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/news-analysis/ama-study-competition-in-health-insurance-industry-disappearing.html