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Family health insurance premiums $13,375

Posted on: Tuesday, 15 September 2009, 13:44 CDT

An annual U.S. survey of non-federal private and public employers indicates most employers and employees are paying more for health insurance.

The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust survey found in 2009, the average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance were $4,824 for single coverage and $13,375 for family coverage. Premiums for family coverage are 5 percent higher than last year, but there was no statistically significant growth in the single premiums.

Since 1999, average premiums for family coverage increased 131 percent while the average worker increase was 128 percent for the same period.

For single coverage, 24 percent of workers pay more than 25 percent of the total premium while 18 percent make no contribution. Forty-five percent of workers with family coverage pay more than 25 percent of the total premium while 6 percent make no contribution, the survey says.

Fifty-one percent of covered workers have coinsurance for a hospital admission and some pay 18 percent of the total. However, 81 percent of covered workers have an out-of-pocket maximum but they vary -- for example, 26 percent are in plans with an annual out-of-pocket maximum of $3,000 or more while 24 percent are in plans with an out-of-pocket maximum of less than $1,500. Nineteen percent have a copayment, which averages $234 per hospital admission.

Eight percent have both coinsurance and copayments while 5 percent get charged an average per diem payment of $179. Five percent have a separate annual hospital deductible of $862.

Twenty-two percent of covered workers have no cost sharing for hospital admissions.

Source: United Press International

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