Despite Health Care Costs Actually Slowing Down, Americans Still Feeling The Pinch
Although the rise in health insurance premiums moderated from 2010 to 2015, compared with the previous five years, wages did not keep pace with the increases so it still feels like a burden to many Americans.
Boston Globe:
Health Care Taking A Bigger Chunk Of Families’ Paychecks
Families in Massachusetts and across the country are spending more of their paychecks on health care as rising premiums and deductibles continue to outpace incomes, according to a study. In an analysis to be released Wednesday, the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based research foundation, said Massachusetts families spent 7.3 percent of their incomes on health insurance last year. That was up from 5.7 percent in 2010 and 5.2 percent a decade ago. The rise in health insurance premiums moderated from 2010 to 2015, compared with the previous five years, the study said, but families and individuals didn’t feel that slowdown because their incomes couldn’t keep pace. (Dayal McCluskey, 10/26)
The Washington Post:
Why Employees Feel So Pinched By Health-Care Costs
The growth in employees’ share of health-care premiums and deductibles has slowed over the past decade, but their incomes have lagged behind, according to a new study. The slower increase in premiums reflects a nationwide trend in health expenses. But the shift hasn’t felt like a reprieve to many people because the growth of deductibles hasn’t abated as much and their incomes haven’t kept up. (Johnson, 10/26)
