Premiums for family healthcare plans through employer-sponsored insurance, where most Americans get their coverage, rose at a slow rate of 3 percent this year, partly because of a spike in high-deductible plans.
The analysis released Wednesday from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Education Trust comes as premiums in some Obamacare plans are seeing double-digit increases in 2017.
The modest increase in family plans is the latest evidence to show that premium hikes for worker-based insurance are slowing down, Kaiser said.
“We’re seeing premiums rising at historically slow rates, which helps workers and employers alike, but it’s made possible in part by the more rapid rise in the deductibles workers must pay,” said foundation President and CEO Drew Altman.
The analysis found that family health premiums rose an average of 3 percent to $18,142 this year from last year. Workers on average contributed about $5,277 annually.
However, average deductibles rose 12 percent to $1,473 annually for workers. At smaller firms, the average deductible tops $2,000, Kaiser said.
High-deductible plans charge lower premiums than other types of plans but often come with higher out-of-pocket costs.
Kaiser found that in 2016, 29 percent of all workers enrolled in such plans, up from 20 percent in 2014.
The results were compiled from a survey of more than 1,900 small and large employers.
