Americans Paying More Even With Employer-Sponsored Healthcare, HHS Reports

Employer-sponsored healthcare premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, three times faster than wages, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The report, "Hidden Costs of Health Care: Why Americans Are Paying More But Getting Less," says that the average premium of a family healthcare plan purchased through an employer was $12,680.

Other out-of-pocket expenses are also on the rise, according to the report. Deductibles for a family PPO plan increased by 30 percent in two years, rising from $1,034 to $1,344; smaller firms reported a 64 percent increase from $1,439 to $2,367.

According to the report, around one in three people have a co-pay of more than $25, up from one in five in 2004. Additionally, a person with employer-based coverage paid an average of $1,522 on healthcare (not including premiums) in 2006, compared with $1,260 in 2001.  When including higher premiums, out-of-pocket costs rose 30 percent increase, from an average of $2,827 in 2001 to $3,744 in 2006.

Read the HHS' "Hidden Costs of Health Care" report.