Cost of family health coverage nears $20,000 in U.S.
The
The average deductible for single coverage among all covered workers grew by more than 10 percent, the report found, while the growth rate in premiums was relatively low again this year at 3 percent for individuals and 5 percent for families. Since 2008, the general annual deductible for workers has increased eight times as fast as wages.
"It's sick people who use the most services who end up paying these costs," said
Deductibles are sums of money that patients must pay out-of-pocket for health care services before full coverage generally kicks in. The Kaiser survey drew on responses from more than 4,000 employers with three or more workers, including some in
The new report doesn't feature state-specific results, but the national trends have been playing out in
"The deductibles are going up faster than premiums," said Lukanen, who studies the issue at the
Kaiser has been asking employers about health plan cost trends since 1999, when the total premium for family coverage -- including contributions from employers and workers -- was
While the cumulative growth in inflation and worker wages has been 51 percent and 68 percent respectively since 1999, total family premiums have grown by 239 percent during the time period, the foundation says.
The new survey found that over the past decade, the share of workers in plans with a general annual deductible has gone from 59 percent to 85 percent. At the same time, the average deductible for individuals has more than doubled from
"More covered workers face a deductible, including a significant increase since last year," said
With deductibles and premiums continuing to rise, employers surveyed by the foundation predict that a chunk of workers will opt to go without health insurance next year when the government drops Affordable Care Act penalties for people who don't buy coverage.
Nine percent of small employers and 24 percent of large firms say they expect fewer employees and dependents to participate in their health plans as a result of the change. In late 2017, President
The share of employers offering health benefits this year is holding steady at about 57 percent, according to the report. Employer plans are the single largest source of health insurance in
"We have a shortage of labor right now," said
Among large firms offering health benefits, 21 percent said they collected some information from workers' mobile apps or wearable devices such as FitBit as part of employee wellness programs, up from 14 percent last year.
About three-quarters of large firms that offer health benefits cover services provided through "telemedicine," meaning video chat and remote monitoring. The share is up from 63 percent last year and 27 percent in 2015, although a separate Kaiser study suggests very few workers are substituting these visits for trips to the doctor.
And the survey found that about three quarters of large firms offering coverage also are covering the cost of health care services provided at retail clinics.
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