Job-based insurance costs rose 4% in 2012

The increase, although higher than the rise in wages or inflation, was less than the 9 percent rise in 2011.

NPR: Insurance Costs Rise, But More Slowly
If you get health insurance on the job, chances are it cost more again this year. Annual family health insurance premiums rose about 4 percent to $15,745 in 2012, according to the latest survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust. Now that's a fairly modest increase by historical standards, and well down from last year's 9 percent. Still, it's more than double the 1.7 percent increase in average wages and way above the 2.3 percent rate of general inflation this year (Rovner, 9/11).

The Washington Post: Cost Of Employer-Sponsored Coverage Rises 4 Percent Over Past Year
The cost of employer-sponsored family health insurance rose a moderate 4 percent over the past year, a sharp slowdown from the surges in premiums that were typical before the recession but still faster than workers' wages and inflation, according to a report released Tuesday (Aizenman, 9/11).

The New York Times: Health Care Premiums Rise Slightly
A family with employer-provided health insurance now pays just under $16,000 in annual premiums, an increase of about 4 percent over a year ago, according to a study released Tuesday by the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation. Individual policies purchased through an employer rose even less, increasing just 3 percent from last year to an average of $5,615, the study said (Abelson, 9/11).

Los Angeles Times: Health Insurance Premiums Rise A Moderate 4%
Still, even modest increases in healthcare costs are difficult to absorb for many businesses and workers struggling to cope with a sluggish economy. Health premiums have been on an unrelenting march upward for years, and many employers have shifted more of those costs to workers (Terhune, 9/11).

The Associated Press/Denver Post: How High Can They Go/ Annual Premiums For Job-Based family Health Plans Hit $15,745, Up 4%
The annual survey released Tuesday by two major research groups served as a glaring reminder that the nation's problem of unaffordable medical care is anything but solved (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/11).

The Wall Street Journal: Health-Plan Costs Rise More Slowly
The smaller increase, to an annual total of $15,745 from $15,073 last year, likely reflects employees' continued tendency to limit their use of medical care, which reins in coverage costs, said Drew Altman, chief executive of the Kaiser Family Foundation. The nonprofit performed the annual poll of employers along with the Health Research & Educational Trust, a nonprofit affiliated with the American Hospital Association (Mathews, 9/11).

Bloomberg: Health Premium Growth Slows To 4.5% In U.S., Kaiser Says
Growth in the health insurance premiums charged by companies including UnitedHealth Group Inc. (UNH) and WellPoint Inc. (WLP) has slowed to 4.5 percent this year, less than half of 2011's rate, the Kaiser Family Foundation said (Wayne and Nussbaum, 9/11).

Fox News: Premiums For Family Health Plans Hit $15,745
It sounds like good news: Annual premiums for job-based family health plans went up only 4 percent this year. But hang on to your wallets. Premiums averaged $15,745, with employees paying more than $4,300 of that, a glaring reminder that the nation's problem of unaffordable medical care is anything but solved. The annual employer survey by two major research groups also highlighted another disturbing trend: employees at companies with many low-wage workers pay more money for skimpier insurance than what their counterparts at upscale firms get (9/11).

CQ HealthBeat: Slower Growth In Health Insurance Premiums Is Found -; But The Mystery Is Why
An annual survey of health benefits released Tuesday found a surprisingly modest 4 percent increase in premiums for employer-sponsored family coverage compared to last year, continuing a trend of moderation in health care costs. Why the number dipped so low is not clear to researchers, nor is whether the trend will last. And given that the increase outpaced the growth in wages and in general inflation, consumers likely won't be thrilled with the news (Norman, 9/11).

Medpage Today: More Part-Time Workers Offered Insurance
More employers are offering health benefits to part-time employees, a survey released Tuesday shows. A total of 45% of large firms -- those with at least 200 employees -- offered health insurance to part-time workers in 2012, up from 39% in 2010, according to the latest employer health benefits survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust. The survey is based on telephone interviews with human resources and benefits managers from more than 2,100 employers from January to May 2012 (Pittman, 9/11).

Politico Pro: Low-Wage Workers Face Health Cost Hikes
People who work at low-wage companies pay more for their health care -; and get less comprehensive coverage -; than workers at higher-paying businesses. And the bite out of their paychecks may be even bigger next year, when premiums increase more quickly than the relatively low increases seen in 2012. ... Although the premium increase for employer-provided family coverage was a historically modest 4 percent in 2012, premiums are expected to rise by about 7 percent next year, the KFF report finds (Norman, 9/11).

McClatchy: Employer-Based Health Insurance Costs Rise Again
The cost of job-based family health insurance continues to tick upward in 2012, increasing faster than employee wages and overall inflation for the 13th straight year, according to a nationwide survey of businesses released Tuesday. For the 149 million workers with employer-sponsored coverage, that typically meant higher co-pays, deductibles and other out-of-pocket medical costs, according to the 2012 Employer Health Benefits Survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust (Pugh, 9/11).

San Francisco Chronicle: Health Insurance Premiums Rise A Little
Health insurance premiums for coverage sponsored by employers edged up an average of 4 percent -- a modest increase by historical standards but still higher than wages and inflation, according to a nationwide survey released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. While insurance continues to be pricey -- the survey found the average annual premium for a family of four costs $15,745 -- the 4 percent increase stands in contrast to the 9 percent increase reported from 2010 to 2011 and the double-digit increases of 2004 and earlier (Colliver, 9/11).

(St. Paul) Pioneer Press: Employer-Based Health Insurance Costs Rise Again, Report Finds
Employers and their workers are paying an average of 4 percent more this year in premiums for health insurance -- an increase that's more than double the rate of wage growth from last year.  Even so, the rate of premium growth stands as one of the lowest annual increases since 1999, a new survey found. It's also a far cry from the double-digit annual increases seen a decade ago (Snowbeck, 9/12).

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cost Of Health Benefits Rise 4% For Family Coverage
The cost of health benefits for employers and employees rose by 4% for family coverage nationally this year, continuing a broad trend of relatively smaller increases in recent years, according to the most widely followed annual survey (Boulton, 9/11). 

Georgia Health News: Rise In Insurance Premiums Eases A Bit, Survey Finds
Employers have seen fairly tame increases in health insurance premiums this year, according to a survey released Tuesday. Premiums for family and individual coverage rose 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively, in 2012, said the survey (Miller, 9/11).