Family Health Coverage Tops $15,000 A Year
One of my big beefs is the cost of healthcare in this country. The Northwest Labor Press has an article that headlines the cost of family health insurance as topping $15,000 a year, according to the latest annual survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust.
Since 1999 workers earnings are up 50% and annual premiums are up 168%! In 1999 family health coverage was $5,791. The cost doubled by 2006 to $11,480. Now five years later it’s $15,073. At this rate, if something is not done, the average family will pay $20,000 in three more years.
Two things are apparent from the study. One, the deductible is rising in most plans. That means more out of pocket expense on top of the premiums and two, fewer companies are offering health care plans. In addition, for retirees, fewer companies each year are offering health benefits. In 1988 66% of companies provided retirement health care. Now, the percent has dropped to 26%.
I was covering my wife through First Student health care plan. However, last year it cost me almost $1,000 per month over nine months to cover her. That amount taken out of my pay check left me most months with a big fat zero for take home. We have dropped her coverage and will pay $588 to Kaiser on our own.
Why do all the major countries in the world offer affordable health care to their citizens? Mexico for example charges $300 per year for excellent health care per person. Will health plans in these other countries fail as nations run out of money? Is there some we we can get our health care costs under control?
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