Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage were up about 4 percent in 2012 to $15,745. On average, workers paid $4,316 toward the total cost of the coverage, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research & Educational Trust 2012 benefits survey.
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Download NowThough this year’s increase is considered moderate, it outpaced the growth in workers’ wages (1.7 percent) and general inflation (2.3 percent). The increase “still takes a growing bit out of middle-class workers’ wages, which have been flat or falling in real terms,” said Kaiser CEO Drew Altman.
The survey found that workers at lower-wage workplaces pay on average $1,000 more each year out of their paycheck for family coverage. Also, those earning less are more likely to face high deductibles.