RESEARCH - Study shows health insurance premiums rise faster than workers' incomes

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WebMD Health News

By Todd Zwillich

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

23 Oct 2008

Study Shows Premiums Rise Faster Than Workers' Incomes

Health Insurance Costs Outpace Wages

Workers' health insurance premiums have shot up more than five times

faster than their wages since 2000, adding to an increasingly tight

squeeze on family budgets, according to a report released Thursday by

a health care consumer group.

The report shows that the average cost of family coverage in the

workplace went from $6,672 in 2000 to $12,078 in 2007. That's more

than a 78% rise. But at the same time, average wages rose about 15%,

according to Families USA, a left-leaning advocacy group.

" People who used to take health care coverage for granted no longer

can do so, and they are at growing risk of joining the ranks of the

uninsured or underinsured, " says Ron Pollack, the group's president.

As health costs rise, employers around the country are moving to save

money by cutting back benefits or scaling down their share of premium

costs. Still, most Americans still get their health coverage through

an employer or the workplace of a family member.

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