The average cost of family health insurance went up by 9 percent last year, the Kaiser Family Foundation reports. The New York Times says some of the increase might be from companies rushing to raise rates now before health reform imposes limits on how much they can charge. Kaiser says a couple of the percentage points might come from new requirements for preventive care or for letting young adults stay on their parents' plans.
At $15,073 per family, insurance is taking a bigger chunk out of employer budgets and employee paychecks. There's a good chance you're paying more, and that's if you're lucky. Elise Gould at the Economic Policy Institute notes that Americans have been losing coverage. Given our "bad economy, general lack of bargaining power among workers, and steeply rising health insurance prices," she writes, we can expect more people go without care.
After the jump, wages and inflation versus the cost of insurance.
