Workers' Share of Health Insurance Premiums Up 63% from 2003 to 2010
<p>Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance policies increased by 50 percent from 2003 to 2010, and the annual amount that employees pay toward their insurance increased by 63 percent, as businesses required employees to contribute a greater share, a new <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2011/nov/state-trends-premiums-and-deductibles-2003-2010-need-action">Commonwealth Fund analysis</a> finds. </p>
<p>The report, which examines trends in health insurance costs state-by-state, finds that coverage costs in each state are outpacing income growth. At the same time, premiums are buying less protective coverage: per-person deductibles doubled for employees working for large as well as small firms over the same period. The analysis was prepared by Senior Vice President Cathy Schoen and colleagues at The Commonwealth Fund. </p>
<p>By 2010, 62 percent of the U.S. population lived in states where health insurance premiums equaled 20 percent or more of earnings for a middle-income individual under age 65. In 2003, there were 13 states where annual premiums constituted less than 14 percent of the median (middle) income; by 2010, there were none. </p>
<p>Visit <a href="/publications/issue-briefs/2011/nov/state-trends-premiums-and-deductibles-2003-2010-need-action">commonwealthfund.org</a> to view an interactive map and infographic and download the complete report. You can also listen to a podcast on Affordable Care Act provisions that should help reverse the trends.<br /></p>