Workers facing higher out-of-pocket costs, premiums for employer-sponsored coverage

A new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows annual premiums for a family now top $21,000, and deductibles have more than doubled since 2010 (Source: “Workers With Health Insurance Face Rising Out-of-Pocket Costs,” New York Times, Oct. 8).

The high cost of health care is persisting during the pandemic, even for people who have maintained job-based insurance.

The average annual cost of a health plan covering a family rose to $21,342 in 2020, according to the latest survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit group that tracks employer-based coverage. Workers paid about a quarter of the total premiums, or $5,588, on average, with their employers picking up the rest of the cost.

While premiums rose only slightly from the 2019 survey, the increase in premiums and deductibles together over the last decade has far outpaced both inflation and the growth in workers’ earnings. Since 2010, premiums have climbed 55 percent, more than double the rise in wages or inflation, according to the foundation’s analysis.