New research sheds light on both good and bad news regarding health insurance premiums. The good: Premium increases are slowing down, potentially helped by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The bad: Workers aren't necessarily getting any relief — in fact, employee premium costs and deductibles grew faster than income in every state over last decade.
According to the Commonwealth Fund, stagnant wages, rising health insurance costs and eroding benefits are the reasons workers and their families have yet to see the benefits of any changes or slowdowns in the health care market.
Average annual premiums — including both the employer and employee contributions — by 2013 represented 20 percent or more of household income in 37 states, compared to just two states in 2003. Workers in southern states, where median incomes are lower than elsewhere in the United States, face the highest cost burdens.
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