Premiums up, profits up, employers paying the tab

[Skeptik]

Job-based health insurance premiums rise sharply

WASHINGTON — After modest increases last year, the cost of job-based health insurance for families and individuals has jumped sharply this year, even though insurers are paying less in benefits as cash-strapped American workers opt for less medical care.

For the estimated 150 million workers with employer-sponsored coverage, the average cost of family health insurance jumped 9 percent this year to $15,073, while the price of individual coverage rose 8 percent to $5,429.

This has been going on for years. The costs leveled out during the past five years or so, but the cost has roughly doubled in the last decade.

The impact of costs like this on employment are obvious.

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