Employer Health Care Insurance Costs Trend - up 5% in 2008

Employer health care insurance cost trends continued their upward march in 2008, rising an average of 5% from 2007. This is a far cry from the 13% to 14% increases of five years ago, but it still makes employer paid health care one of the greatest benefits to employees in the US. The costs for family coverage in 1999 were an average of $5,900. In 2008 family health care insurance coverage averaged $13,000, an increase of 54% in nine years. But employers and employees are paying more for less, because today's insurance packages come with much higher deductibles, in some cases as much as $1,000 or more per year.

Estimated Average Annual Premiums of Employer Sponsored Health Benefits

Source: WSJ