5 changes to the health care landscape
September 28, 2015 3:15 PM
Health plan premiums continue to rise and employers are concerned with the approaching Cadillac tax. The following data from the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust 2015 Employer Health Benefits Survey sheds some light on just how much employers and employees are paying for health care.
[Image: Fotolia]
[Image: Fotolia]
Growing premiums
Since 2005, premiums have grown an average of 5% each year, compared to 11% annually between 1999 and 2005.
[Image credit: Fotolia]
[Image credit: Fotolia]
Premium averages
The average annual premium for single coverage is $6,251, of which workers on average pay $1,071. The average family premium is $17,545, with workers on average contributing $4,955.
[Image credit: Fotolia]
[Image credit: Fotolia]
Increased deductibles
Since 2010, both the share of workers with deductibles and the size of those deductibles have increased sharply. These two trends together result in a 67% increase in deductibles since 2010, much faster than the rise in single premiums (24%) and more than six times the rise in workers' wages (10%) and general inflation (9%).
[Image credit: Fotolia]
[Image credit: Fotolia]
Annual deductibles
Eighty-one percent of covered workers are in plans with a general annual deductible, which averages $1,318 for single coverage this year.
[Image credit: Fotolia]
[Image credit: Fotolia]
Wellness programs
The majority of large employers continue to offer wellness programs, such as smoking cessation, weight loss or other lifestyle coaching. Thirty-eight percent of those offering one of these wellness programs provide a financial incentive for employees to participate or complete the program.
[Image credit: Fotolia]
[Image credit: Fotolia]
