If it seems like health insurance costs are eating up a bigger chunk of your paycheck than a decade ago, here’s one reason why.
The cost of family health insurance premiums grew much faster than most workers’ wages between 1999 and 2009, according to new data from the Economic Policy Institute.
The think tank compared the rise in premiums to the increase in wages for nonsupervisory and production workers, the bulk of the private sector work force.
They found that the health insurance premiums more than doubled over the 10-year period, while workers' earnings rose by about 38 percent. Overall inflation rose by nearly 30 percent during the period.
Most companies share the burden of health premiums with their employees, so it’s likely both you and your boss are grappling with the disproportionate jump in costs.
Related:
Your boss is feeling the pain of rising health care costs, too