The Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust 2011 Employer Health Benefits Survey was recently released, revealing annual premiums for family health plans have increased 9 percent and now average more than $15,000.
This presents a major financial burden, since wages increased an average of 2.1 percent. In the past decade, wages reportedly grew 34 percent, while healthcare costs have more than doubled.
At the same time, researchers estimated 2.3 million young adults were added to their parents coverage. This demographic, in the past, has been more likely to go without insurance than any other group.
"The law is helping millions of young adults to obtain health coverage. In the past, many of these young adults would have lost coverage when they left home or graduated college," the study's lead author Gary Claxton said, referring to provisions of healthcare reform laws that have been implemented already.
The premium cost of employee-only coverage increased by 8 percent in 2011. The number of employers offering retiree health benefits remained relatively stable at about a quarter of firms employing 200 or more workers.
