Since 2010, both the share of workers with health insurance deductibles and the size of those deductibles have increased sharply, according to a new analysis released on Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The analysis is based on survey results from 3,191 randomly selected, nonfederal public and private firms with three or more employees. The survey was conducted between January and June of 2015.
Here are eight findings from the annual survey.
Health insurance premiums
1. This year, the average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance are $6,251 for single coverage and $17,545 for family coverage, with each increasing 4 percent year-over-year.
2. The average premium for family coverage in 2015 is $16,625 in firms with three to 199 workers, compared to $17,938 in firms with 200 or more workers.
3. During the last five years family coverage premiums have increased at the same rate (27 percent) as between 2005 and 2010. That's down significantly from 2000 to 2005 when premiums for family coverage increased 69 percent.
Health insurance deductibles
4. The survey revealed that 81 percent of covered workers are in plans with a general annual deductible, which average $1,318 for single coverage this year.
5. Workers without a general annual deductible often still face other types of cost sharing for their healthcare services, including copayments for office visits and hospitalizations.
6. Covered workers in firms with three to 199 workers face an average deductible of $1,836 this year. That's 66 percent more than the $1,105 average deductible facing covered workers at firms with at least 200 workers.
7. Deductibles have increased by 67 percent since 2010, much faster than the rise in single premiums (24 percent) and nearly seven times the rise in workers' wages (10 percent). "With deductibles rising so much faster than premiums and wages, it's no surprise that consumers have not felt the slowdown in health spending," said Kaiser Foundation President and CEO Drew Altman.
8. Twenty-four percent of covered workers are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan with a savings option this year, up from 13 percent of covered workers in 2010.
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