The average annual cost of health insurance through an employer soared this year, according to a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
And part of the 9 percent increase (perhaps 1 percent or 2 percent) was because of provisions in the 2010 federal health reform law that placed new requirements on health insurance companies.
According to the report released Tuesday, average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance in 2011 were $5,429 for single coverage and $15,073 for family coverage. Compared to 2010, that was 8 percent higher for singles and 9 percent more for families.
Employer-sponsored health insurance is the biggest source of coverage for Americans. About 150 million Americans get coverage through their jobs.
Since 2001, average premiums for family coverage have increased 113 percent, according to the study.
About 60 percent of employers offered coverage as a job benefit in 2011, down from about 69 percent in 2010. But the report also stated that 60 percent was more in keeping with previous years and that the 69 percent figure from 2010 resulted from an unusual increase spurred by a significant jump in the number of firms with three to nine workers that began offering health benefits. The report concluded that 2010 was perhaps an aberration.
The report also showed that 23 percent of firms in 2011 offered high-deductible health plans and that 9 percent of employees had enrolled in high-deductible plans that included Health Savings Accounts.
The researchers concluded that the Affordable Care Act added to premium costs due to provisions requiring coverage of preventive services in non-grandfathered health plans and because of a new requirement allowing children up to age 26 to remain on a parent’s policy.