Annual insurance premiums rose 4 percent in 2013

Source: Winston-Salem Journal, N.迷你倉新蒲崗C.Aug. 21--Annual premiums for employer-based family health insurance went up 4 percent for the second consecutive year in 2013, according to a report issued Tuesday by Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust.The annual premium for an employer-sponsored health-insurance plan was $16.351 for a family and $5,884 for employee only (up 5 percent).By contrast, employee wages rose 1.8 percent during the survey period. Since 2003, the average premium for family coverage has risen 80 percent.Employers paid on average $11,786 of the premium cost for family coverage, while employees paid $4,565. That meant workers' contributions have increased 89 percent since 2003.Employees with a high-deductible health plan paid the lowest annual premium for family coverage at $3,649.About 42 percent of employees covered at least 25 percent of the premium c迷你倉出租st for family coverage, while 62 percent of employees covered that amount for individual coverage."We are in a prolonged period of moderation in premiums, which should create some breathing room for the private sector to try to reduce costs without cutting back benefits for workers," said Drew Altman, Kaiser's president and chief executive.About 78 percent of all covered workers face a general annual deductible, up from 72 percent in 2012. The average deductible this year for worker-only coverage is $1,135, similar to the $1,097 average deductible in 2012.The survey also finds that large deductibles of at least $1,000 or more are common in employer-sponsored plans, especially among workers of smaller firms.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 Winston-Salem Journal (Winston Salem, N.C.) Visit Winston-Salem Journal (Winston Salem, N.C.) at 2.journalnow.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存倉