Employer plan deductibles grew 150% over 10 years

During the past decade, the average health insurance deductible for employer-based coverage climbed more than 150 percent, according to the Peterson-Kaiser Health System Tracker.

On average, single Americans with coverage through their employers had deductibles of $1,350 in 2018. That's compared to $533 in 2009, according to researchers from the Kaiser Family Foundation. They used claims data from IBM's MarketScan Research Database to arrive at the estimates.

The researchers also said this year's "Deductible Relief Day" — or the day when a person satisfies their annual deductible — was May 19. A decade ago, that day was March 18. As deductibles increase and people spend more out of pocket to reach their deductible, the day has fallen later in the year.

The prevalence of rising deductibles, paired with increases in healthcare costs, has caused out-of-pocket spending to climb, according to the researchers. On average, Americans with employer coverage spent $792 out of pocket in 2017, compared to $493 in 2007.

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