WASHINGTON An annual survey released Thursday finds that workers are paying, on average, $482 more for job-based family health insurance this year as companies force employees to shoulder more of the burden of health care costs.
The increase in premiums, up 14 percent from last year, means that workers are paying nearly all of a $495 increase in the average cost of family coverage this year.
Employers' contributions to family coverage showed no increase in 2010, according to the Employer Health Benefits Survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.
Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, said it was the first time he could remember employers moving so boldly to shift health costs to workers.
"Added health costs for workers means added economic insecurity for working people in tough times," Altman said. He called the move a "recession survival tactic" for struggling employers, who provide coverage for 157 million Americans.
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Tags: Insurance, survival tactic, Coverage, Family, kaiser family foundation, family health insurance
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