Health insurance premiums continue to rise

Health insurance premiums continue to rise, and employees are absorbing most of the cost burden, according to a survey by Kaiser Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) and Health Research & Educational Trust.

For the survey, researchers randomly contacted almost 3,000 public and private employers with three or more employees.

Key findings from the report:

• Premiums for single coverage rose by 8%, and premiums for family coverage rose 9% between 2010 and 2011.
• Since 2001, average premiums for family coverage have increased 113%.
• Sixty percent of firms offer health benefits to their workers in 2011, down from  69% reported in 2010.
• Twenty-three percent of firms offering health benefits offer a high deductable/cost savings plan, up from 15% in 2010.

(Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, http://ehbs.kff.org/, September 2011; The Advisory Board Daily Briefing, http://advisory.com, September 28, 2011)

Comments

[Jessica]

Why is it that they always appear to be rising! I do think paying a good premium and knowing that you are covered in all aspects (especially in terms of worldwide insurance) is worth researching well. So this leads me to where I am now - research stage. I have started looking at CIGNA International and they seem really reputable.