CT family premiums grew by 21% from 2001 to 2005; median income grew by 2.4%

A new report explains why CT families are feeling like they are moving backward. “Squeezed: How Costs for Insuring Families are Outpacing Income” by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found while the percent of premium that CT families pay dropped slightly from 2001 to 2005, total average family premium payments increased 6.4%. In more bad news, the number of CT employees that work at firms offering health insurance dropped by 91,512, CT residents with private coverage dropped by 5.4% and uninsured residents rose by 2.9%. The study only looked at premiums and did not consider rising copayments, deductibles, co-insurance and the erosion in covered benefits – so the real burden of health costs on CT families is likely much worse.
Ellen Andrews