Employer Health Insurance Premiums Rose 62%, Deductibles More Than Doubled Across States from 2003 to 2011

Average premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance plans rose 62 percent between 2003 and 2011, rising far faster than incomes did in all states, according to a new Commonwealth Fund analysis that tracks trends in job-based coverage state by state.

The study also finds that annual costs for the share of insurance premiums paid by workers grew an average of 74 percent, and deductibles more than doubled during the period. Total health insurance premiums now amount to 20 percent or more of annual median family incomes in 35 states, affecting 80 percent of the U.S. working-age population.