The combined average premium and out-of-pocket costs for health coverage for a U.S. worker are projected to increase by nearly 9 percent in 2009, to $3,826 per year, according to an annual study by Hewitt Associates. For the study, Hewitt evaluated data on employer-sponsored health plans from more than 300 major businesses with an average of 16,000 employees, encompassing more than 13 million health plan members.
According to the study, Survey Findings: Two Roads Diverged: Hewitt’s Annual Health Care Survey 2008, premium contributions for workers enrolled in individual plans are expected to increase by 8 percent to an average of $1,946 per year, or $162 monthly, and out-of-pocket costs are projected to increase by 10.1 percent to $156 per month. The study also projected that health insurance costs for companies will increase by 6.4 percent in 2009 to $8,863 per employee. Access the report.
