Health Affairs

Posting date: September 9, 2004

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Health Affairs, 10.1377/hlthaff.23.5.200
Copyright © 2004 by Project HOPE

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MarketWatch: Health Benefits In 2004: Four Years of Double-Digit Premium Increases Take Their Toll On Coverage

Jon Gabel ^1*, Gary Claxton ², Isadora Gil ³, Jeremy Pickreign ⁴, Heidi Whitmore ⁵, Erin Holve ⁶, Benjamin Finder ⁷, Samantha Hawkins ⁸, Diane Rowland ⁹

¹ Jon Gabel is vice president, health systems studies, at the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) in Washington, D.C.
² Gary Claxton is a vice president of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, also in Washington.
³ Isadora Gil is a policy analyst at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington.
⁴ Jeremy Pickreign is a statistician at the HRET.
⁵ Heidi Whitmore is deputy director, health systems studies.
⁶ Erin Holve is a senior policy analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, California.
⁷ Benjamin Finder is a research assistant at the foundation’s Washington, D.C., office.
⁸ Samantha Hawkins is a research assistant at the HRET.
⁹ Diane Rowland is the foundation’s executive vice president.

^*Corresponding author.

Abstract

This paper reports changes in employer-based insurance during the past year and since 2001. From spring 2003 to spring 2004, premiums increased 11.2 percent (compared with 13.9 percent last year). Since 2001, premiums have increased 59 percent, employee contributions have grown by 57 percent for single coverage and 49 percent for family coverage, and the percentage of workers covered by their own employer’s health plan has fallen from 65 percent in 2001 to 61 percent in 2004. The worst of the current round of premium inflation appears to be over, but employers plan to increase employee cost sharing next year.

Key Words: Business Of Health, Consumer Issues, Health Spending, Insurance - Employer-Based System, Managed Care, Managed Competition

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