Employer survey: Premiums moderate, percent offering coverage unchanged in 2014

The latest national survey of employers by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that premium increases continued to moderate and the percentage of employers offering health insurance has remained virtually unchanged from last year (Source: “Survey: Employers’ health-care premiums continue to grow,” Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 10, 2014).

Kaiser’s 2014 employer survey found that premiums for family coverage rose 3 percent this year. Annual premiums for employer-sponsored family health coverage averaged $16,834 this year, with workers responsible for $4,823 of that total, on average. For worker-only coverage, the overall annual premium cost was $6,025, on average, with employees chipping in $1,081.

“There is no question ... that we are seeing historic moderation in costs, including in premiums ... over a considerable period,” said Drew Altman, president and CEO of the Kaiser Family Foundation, during a conference call with reporters.

The cost of annual deductibles also continues to climb, reaching $1,217 this year. About 4 in 10 covered workers now pay an annual deductible of at least $1,000, nearly double the rate of people who paid at least that much five years ago. Only 55 percent of employers offer health-insurance benefits, and they are far less likely to do so if they have more lower-wage, part-time and younger workers.