Health-care premiums paid by employers rose this year by more than twice the growth in workers’ wages and inflation, prompting some companies to pass more of those costs to workers, according to a nationwide study released today.
Premiums for employer-sponsored healthcare plans jumped an average of 7.7 percent for 2006, the slowest increase since 2000, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.
During the last six years, premiums have increased by 87 percent, the study of 2,122 employers showed.
“We are still losing the race between premiums and workers’ earnings – and if that trend persists, employer-based coverage will continue to decline as fewer employers and workers can afford the cost of care,” Jon Gabel, a study co-author and vice president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, said in a statement.
Other notable finding were:
Staff writer Will Shanley can be reached at 303-954-1260 or wshanley@denverpost.com
