Report: Families Paying More For Health Care While Employer Contributions Fall

A new study looking at the cost of health care for American families has found that people are not only paying more for their medical needs but that employers are contributing less money to employees’ coverage plans.

According to the latest Milliman Medical Index, the average annual health care cost for a family insured through an employer is now $19,393, that’s an increase of $1,139 (7.3%) from last year.

Meanwhile, the Index says that employees are now paying more of the cost of that coverage. Out-of-pocket costs for health care now stand at 9.2%, up from 6.6% last year. Additionally, payroll deductions for health care have gone from 8% last year to 9.3%.

From CNN:

Of the $1,319 more that companies and workers are spending on health costs, employers are paying $641.

Employees are shouldering a bigger chunk, paying $403 in payroll contributions and $275 in additional costs.

Of the $19,393 overall annual cost, employees’ share is inching closer to 50 percent, said Lorraine Mayne, principal and consulting actuary with Milliman.

“What we’ve observed in the past few years is employers have increasingly been offering health plans with higher deductibles and co-insurance, co-payment limits,” said Payne.

Your family’s health care costs: $19,393 [Chicago Breaking Business]

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