When the Kaiser Family Foundation started tracking employer health benefits 20 years ago, employee deductibles weren't a concern. Over the years, though, the survey has adjusted to reflect not just the growing percentage of employees with a deductible (85 percent in 2018) but the growing amount of that deductible ($1,573 for an individual in 2018) .
In fact, according to the 2018 KFF Employer Health Benefits Survey, the burden of deductibles has tripled in the past decade and increased eight times faster than wages. Among small employers, 42 percent of workers pay a deductible of $2,000 or more.
"Rising health care costs absolutely remain a burden for employers, but they're a bigger problem for workers, as cost-sharing has been rising much faster than wages in recent years," KFF president and CEO Drew Altman said in a press briefing.
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Emily Payne
Emily Payne is director, content analytics for ALM's Business & Finance Markets and former managing editor for BenefitsPRO. A Wisconsin native, she has spent the past decade writing and editing for various athletic and fitness publications. She holds an English degree and Business certificate from the University of Wisconsin.
