Health care premiums rise 6.1%, far outpacing wages
This will be a big issue by 08. If the GOP does not understand this problem and come up with real solutions, 08 will not be good for the GOP.
USATODAY-Health insurance premiums rose 6.1% this year — the lowest rate of increase since 1999 — but that fact offered little solace to employers and workers, who have seen overall premium increases rise far faster than wages or inflation during that same period.
So says a report released Tuesday by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation, which annually surveys about 2,000 employers and publishes a detailed review of costs.“Health insurance is becoming increasingly unaffordable for many employers and working people in the country,” says Drew Altman, president of the foundation. “We’re seeing this more and more every year.”
The average cost of a family plan purchased by employers this year hit a new high, $12,106, according to the survey. Individual coverage premiums averaged $4,479.
While the percentage of the premium paid by workers stayed about the same as last year, the dollar amount paid by workers toward their share of family coverage rose $308 to $3,281. Single employees paid an average of $694 toward their coverage, up $67.
Wages rose an average of 3.7% this year, and inflation went up 2.6%, Altman said.
“Wages rose an average of 3.7% this year, and inflation went up 2.6%, . . .”
Let’s see . . .
3.7
-2.6
====
+1.1
Real wages are up 1.1% this year.
Up.
(Not down.)
If the rate of increase of health insurance premiums is decreasing relative to wages then why not continue doing what we are doing and allow the trend to continue? Is it the government’s role to intrude into health/healthcare? If they quit fiddling and fumbling with more plans and regulations then the free market and innovation may eventually reduce the level of increase to below that of the increase in wages.
But, to borrow a phrase from lefthook and Caroline, many supporters of healthcare reform are actually tied or twisted in knots over this issue because they’re in fact “tied” to the “healthcare” industry in some fashion. Anyone who is truly interested in healthcare would also be interested in people’s overall health. Following the reccomendation of professionals would be an excellent beginning.
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