A new report from the The Commonwealth Fund indicates employer-sponsored family health insurance premiums rose 50 percent between 2003 and 2010.
The amount businesses required employees to contribute annually rose 63 percent in the same period, and per-person deductibles doubled for employees at large and small firms alike. The report examined health insurance costs in different states, and found them increasing faster than income growth nationwide.
"Whether you live in California, Montana, or West Virginia, health insurance is expensive. Out-of-pocket costs for premiums and care are consuming a larger share of people's incomes at a time when incomes are down in a majority of states," said the report's lead author, Commonwealth Fund senior vice president Cathy Schoen.
Annual premiums rose in every state, increasing by a third on the low end of the spectrum and as much as 70 percent in some areas. The least expensive states still had premiums above $11,000 for employer-sponsored family health insurance, while more expensive areas saw premiums above $15,000 in some cases.
Schoen indicated the trends support the need for health insurance and healthcare system reforms to assist workers, who find themselves paying more despite decreased financial protection. The report revealed that there were no states in which annual premiums constituted less than 14 percent of the median income in 2010, compared to 13 such states in 2003.
