From the California Healthcare Foundation:
Employer Health Insurance Costs in the United States
Key findings include:
• While wages and salaries increased by 39 percent between 1996 and 2005, health insurance costs to employers rose 97 percent.
• At offering businesses, the share of total compensation paid as health insurance rose from 6 to 8 percent from 1996 to 2005. As health insurance costs increased, the share of compensation paid as wages fell.
• Of those businesses that offered insurance, costs relative to payroll increased 34 percent between 1996 and 2005.
• Premium contributions as a share of payroll were highest for unionized businesses, businesses with a high share of full-time workers, and low-wage businesses.
• Although the increase in health insurance costs was similar across businesses, increases were highest for low-wage businesses. This may be due in part to the fact that compensation for high-wage businesses has increased substantially, while for low-wage businesses it has been stagnant.
