Health Insurance premiums continue to soar...

[marmar]

Published on Wednesday, September 27, 2006 by McClatchy Newspapers
Health Insurance Premiums Continue to Soar
by Tony Pugh

WASHINGTON - For the seventh straight year, premiums for employer-based health insurance rose more than twice as fast as overall inflation and wages, an annual survey of employers shows.

The average 7.7 percent premium increase for 2006 was the smallest since 2000 and marked the third straight year that the rate of growth has slowed, according to the survey, released Wednesday by Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.

But most Americans probably have felt little or no relief because their paychecks haven't kept pace with the rate hikes. Workers' earnings increased only 3.8 percent on average from April 2005 to April 2006, while inflation, up 3.5 percent, erodes their disposable income.

Since 2000, inflation has jumped 18 percent and the amount that workers pay toward family health-care coverage has skyrocketed 84 percent, the survey found. Average wages have increased 20 percent over the same period.

So even while the premium-rate increases have moderated - down from a 9.2 percent jump in 2005 and an 11.2 percent spike in 2004 - experts say there's no reason to celebrate.

"I think you immediately understand why a reduction in an already high rate of increase is pretty meaningless to average working people and why they're still feeling the pain," said Drew Altman, the president of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit educational group that's unrelated to Kaiser Permanente, a health insurance company.

This year, the average annual premium for single coverage is $4,242, of which workers pay $627, up from $610 in 2005. Family coverage costs an average of $11,480, with workers paying $2,973 annually, up from $2,713 last year.

The rest of the article is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0927-09.htm

[Erika]

1. This is hitting retirees very hard.

They may have worked long enough to retire and earn their pension, but no way can they afford to continue their insurance.

Also unnoted, is that many companies offer no insurance plans nor pay their workers enough to obtain their own insurance.

[Warpy]

2. We'll get national health not when we need it

(we needed it about 40 years ago) but when corporations have had enough of being bled dry by the insurance industry.

[marmar]

4. You'd think every corp. would be screaming for universal single-payer...

:think:

[CountAllVotes]

3. Mine are up about 9% this year

If it were not for my Union, I'd be really screwed. The policy I have is about $400.00 a month and the Union has negotiated a good contract for this next year. Dental premiums are actually going down a couple of bucks.

:dem: :kick:

and ... UNION YES!