Survey: Individual health insurance premiums jump

INDIANAPOLIS -- A new survey says people who buy their own health insurance have been hit lately with premium hikes that top increases seen in employer-sponsored coverage.

The Kaiser Family Foundation says 77 percent of individual insurance customers questioned this spring in a national survey recently faced a premium increase. They reported an average hike of 20 percent.

But some switched plans and bought less-expensive policies, so people who faced increases wound up paying 13 percent more on average.

Those hikes surpass recent single-digit increases seen in employer-sponsored health insurance, which is where most insured Americans get coverage.

About 14 million people under age 65 receive health insurance through the individual market.