By: Health Insurance
Submitted: 2009-09-23 14:52:17 | Word Count: 439
Health care experts in Arizona say they’re not surprised that the cost of employer-sponsored health insurance is rising across the nation.
Family premiums increased to $13,375 annually, with employees on average contributing $3,515 of that cost, according to a survey by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. Along with paying higher premiums, workers generally also face higher deductibles and co-pays for services as employers shift more costs to employees.
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Roger Hughes, Executive Director of the St. Luke’s Health Initiatives said Arizona business owners and employees are definitely feeling the burden of higher health care costs.
“We hear stories from employers who want to do the right thing,” Hughes said. “Increasingly it’s just the case that employers can’t afford it.”
Last year, St. Luke’s Health Initiatives sponsored a survey of 4,200 adults in Arizona in an effort to understand health system trends and policy implications. Among a broad range of findings, 40 percent of small businesses in Arizona offer health insurance coverage. Nationally, 46 percent of small businesses offer health coverage, Hughes said.
Some Arizona small businesses are turning to other alternatives.
“What we’re seeing is some employers giving individuals funds and saying ‘go out on the market and get a health savings account or a health reinvestment account’,” Hughes said. “That’s fine if you’re young and healthy. But try doing that if you have a mental illness or are dying of Cancer. You’re doomed.”
The Arizona Health Survey also found that it’s increasingly unaffordable for people to purchase health insurance, even if the insurance is offered by the employer. This problem is especially evident among the working poor, Hughes said.
“These are people who are primarily, but not exclusively Hispanic. They’re working in low-wage jobs. They’re paying taxes. They’re paying into social security and their employer may offer it but they just can’t afford it,” Hughes said.
Nationally, the Kaiser Foundation predicts that if health premiums continue to rise by the recent average growth rate of 6.1%, the cost of family coverage would reach $24,180 by 2019.
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