Cost of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Has Increased for Workers, Study Finds - Kaisernetwork.org

Workers' contributions to employer-sponsored health coverage for families increased by an average of 79% from 1996 to 2003, according to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality study published on Wednesday, the Washington Post reports. The average employee contributed $2,283 for family coverage in 2003, compared with $1,275 in 1996 (Washington Post, 8/25). Employers' contributions increased by about 89.3% -- or 59.9% adjusted for inflation -- from $3,679 in 1996 to $6,966 in 2003, Reuters reports (Reuters, 8/24). From 2002 to 2003, premiums increased by 9.2% for single coverage, 10% for employee-plus one coverage and 9.2% for family coverage, the study found (Washington Post, 8/25). Industry experts attribute the cost increases in part to high costs for new medical technology and the rising use and cost of prescription drugs (Reuters, 8/24). AHRQ's Medical Expenditure Panel Survey collected data from 48,000 U.S. employers for the survey. About 63% of U.S. residents have employer-sponsored health coverage (Washington Post, 8/25).