Report: Insurance Costs Outpace Income Growth
The story is the same in all 50-states; the rising cost of employer-sponsored health insurance has dwarfed income growth over the past eight years. A new study from the Commonwealth Fund crunches the numbers from 2003 – 2011.
In Pennsylvania, the report pegs the combined cost for a family plan at $15,000, which is right at the national average. “It’s an increase of 65% in just eight years,” explains Senior Vice President Cathy Schoen, who says Pennsylvanians’ median income increased only 13% over that same period.
If trends continue at this rate the report indicates that Pennsylvania is on its way to a nearly $25,000 a year family premium by the year 2020.
Schoen, however, believes the Affordable Care Act will slow the growth of health insurance and health care costs. “Taking even 1% off the trend makes a real difference,” Schoen says, “By 2020 it would mean – in Pennsylvania — $2,000 more on the table for families in terms of wages or employers investing in jobs.”
The Commonwealth Fund report is being released as governors across the nation are deciding whether to create state-based health insurance exchanges for individuals and small businesses to purchase insurance. Pennsylvania, like 27 other states, will rely on the federal government to run its marketplace.
