Family health insurance soared by 14 percent in 2010 as costs increased and companies sought to shift more of the burden for coverage onto employees.
The average employee paid roughly $4,000 in 2010 to insure a family of four – which is up $482 from last year, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The overall cost of insuring a family of four was $13,770 – a 3 percent increase from last year.
“With the economy struggling, businesses have been shifting more of the costs of health insurance to workers through premiums, deductibles and other cost-sharing,” Kaiser President and CEO Drew Altman, Ph.D., said. “This may be helping to stem the rapid rise in premiums that we saw in the early 2000s, but it also means employer coverage is less comprehensive. From a consumer perspective, the cost of health insurance just keeps going up faster than wages.”
Since 2005, workers’ contributions to premiums have gone up 47 percent, while overall premiums rose 27 percent, wages increased 18 percent, and inflation rose 12 percent, according to the study.
Additionally, 27 percent of covered workers now face annual deductibles of at least $1,000, up from 22 percent in 2009.
Frankly, we’re not optimistic that this bad situation will be made any better by “Obamacare,” which in addition to its massive tax hikes and individual mandates will also restrict competition in the health care market.
“Next year, the increases could be even bigger,” Gary Claxton, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s vice president, told CNN.
Great …
WEB EXTRA
Employer Health Benefits 2010 Annual Survey (Kaiser Family Foundation)
By neumonvonstubon September 2, 2010 at 7:31 pm
More evidence that the Democrat/Socialist Party intends to destroy the middle class.
By Luke September 2, 2010 at 9:50 pm
My brother has been building high-value, custom homes for the past 25 years, in upstate South Carolina.
In good times and bad, he says, the homes are always — always — sold to either a doctor or a lawyer.
In the past three years, the only people to even LOOK at these custom-built homes have been the doctors.
“Doctors are immune to the economy,” he says angrily. “They make out like bandits perennially. It is absolutely bizarre.”
Average SALARY (excluding benefits) of “primary care” physician in South Carolina is $198,000.
Radiologist (photo above), $495,000.
Anaesthologist, $550,000.
Orthopedic surgeon, $610,000.
See http://www.cejkasearch.com/compensation/amga_physician_compensation_survey.htm
NONE of the above-mentioned specialists work “overtime” or “outside hours” (i.e., no weekend, holiday or night work).
Bring on the socialized medicine.
I cannot afford health insurance nor can most of my friends.
By luke_is_an_idiot September 3, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Wow, Luke, your comment was incredibly stupid. For one, how can you even say that the above photo is a Radiologist? Every doctor knows how to read something as basic as a chest X-Ray, and those income figures are averages. Some make more and some make less. That’s what an average is, and since most doctors are private practice, their income is dependent on how much they want to work: you work your butt off, you make bank, if you don’t want to you make less. It’s capitalism and a work ethic.
Also, since when do Othropedists and Anesthesiologists not work weekends, holidays or at night? The last time I checked, those specialties are involved in surgery, which, especially being an Orthopedist, you can’t always predict. Many doctors are “on-call” via contract with the hospital they have privileges at, which means if something comes in during the middle of the night, they have to be there.
So, if you, God forbid, get into a car accident at 2am, and need someone to save your legs, you can thank that lazy and greedy doctor, who went to school and training for 20+ years, in order to save people like you.