Health insurance

The 160 million Americans who received health insurance through their employer are paying more for it, another consequence of the recession.

Employee contributions for their insurance coverage have risen 14 percent, or about $500 this year to an average $4,000 for a family plan, according to a survey of 2,000 companies by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.

Workers are now paying abut 30 percent of the annual $13,770 cost of their family plan health insurance. Five years ago, employees paid 26 percent of the total premiums.

Employees are paying 15 percent more toward the approximately $5,000 cost of single coverage.

Overall, the cost of health insurance premiums rose by 3 percent over last year.

At the same time, employers are finding other ways to hold the line on health insurance costs by reducing benefits, a step taken by 30 percent of the surveyed companies.

The study found that nearly half of the workers at small firms with fewer than 200 workers have deductibles of $1,000 or more, up from 16 percent four years ago. At large firms, 17 percent of the workers were covered by high-deductible plans.

James Gelfand, director of health policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said, "It's no surprise, since businesses are struggling to keep their doors open."

Employers shifting costs to lower their expenses may also be reacting cautiously to the uncertain changes coming from national health care reform. Employees may find it hard to absorb the increased insurance premiums but are finding it a better alternative to layoffs.