KHN releases 2018 employer health benefits survey

Kaiser Health News released the results of their annual Employer Health Benefits Survey. Nothing stood out to be as particularly surprisingly, but there were a few notes of interest. First, the average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose 3% for single coverage and 5% for family coverage, both outpacing inflation and wage increases. Secondly, about a third of the covered employees at the surveyed firms were on a high-deductible plan (almost twice the number of employees covered by HMOs). The average annual deductible among covered workers was $1,350, meaning that employees still need to pay a fair amount if medical services are needed (outside of preventative care).

With insurance premiums growing faster than inflation, healthcare continues to become more and more expensive. At some point, the industry will need to change to better contain costs, but it is unclear what exact mechanism(s) will be instrumental to that change.