Health Costs Rise 3 Times Incomes

[jeffrey]

Health insurance premiums paid by U.S. workers have risen nearly three times faster than average earnings in the past four years, eroding the income of average Americans, a study based on federal data shows.

Premium costs for private health insurance coverage grew 35.9% from 2000 to 2004. Average individual earnings grew 12.4%, the study found. Those findings are similar to those of other non-partisan groups, such as the Kaiser Family Foundation, and government agencies, including the Commerce Department.

As health premiums consume a growing share of earnings, more Americans are spending a major portion of their annual incomes on health care. During the same four-year period, the number of Americans whose health care costs exceed one-fourth of their earnings rose to 14.3 million from 11.6 million, the study being released today concludes... [read more at usatoday.com]