A new report shows what the average family is paying for health coverage these days.
The cost to insure the average family in the U.S. last year was $16,771 when coverage was obtained through an employer, according to a report by benefits consulting firm Milliman, Inc. And worker contributions to that coverage have been going up.
Some of the key numbers from the report:
- About 170 million Americans get their health insurance through an employer.
- Healthcare costs, via premium payments and out-of-pocket medical expenses, now eat up 14% of the average household income of about $50,000.
- Costs went up an average of $1,162 per family this year from the average of $15,609 last year.
- Employers’ contribution to workers’ monthly premiums increased by 5.4% over the past year, but employees’ contributions went up 14.7%.
- Employers paid an average contribution of $9,947 per worker. Employees paid an average of $4,004 in premiums and an additional $2,820 in out-of-pocket expenses.
A glimmer of good news: The report showed that costs are rising but not quite as rapidly as they had in prior years.
Click here to see the full report.