Health insurance now costs $16,000 for average family [View all]

[eridani]

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/health-insurance-now-costs-16-000-average-family-f6C10960584

The average family’s health insurance now costs about $16,000, and workers pay more than a quarter of that, according to a new survey.

But health insurance premiums for job-based family coverage rose a relatively modest 4 percent, reflecting slowed health spending, according to a survey of about 2,000 employers released Tuesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.)

Nonetheless, workers are likely to feel an increased pinch from health care costs: More than a third have annual deductibles of at least $1,000 this year before their insurance kicks in, while wages continue to grow far more slowly than health insurance costs.

Premiums for the average family plan topped $16,000 for the first time, with workers paying on average $4,565 toward that cost, not counting copays and deductibles, the survey found.

The average cost of a single employee’s insurance premiums rose 5 percent, to $5,884, with workers paying an average of $999, the survey found. Workers’ wages increased 1.8 percent on average, while general inflation rose 1.1 percent. The survey was done between January and May of this year.