Idahoans saw the prices for employer-sponsored health insurance grow nearly six times faster than its median income over a ten-year span.
According to a new national report from The Commonwealth Fund, Idaho’s median income grew by an average of 1.2 percent per year between 2008 and 2018, while the average premium contribution and deductible for employer-sponsored health care plans grew by an average of 7 percent annually during the same time.
The report analyzes state-by-state data provided by over 40,000 employers. Roughly half of Americans, or 164 million people, are covered by an employer-sponsored health insurance plan. The report does not include information from those over 65, who are eligible for the public health care service Medicare.
Idaho had one of the 10 lowest rates of employee contribution to its single-person coverage plans last year. The average worker in Idaho contributed $1,200 toward their premium plan, roughly the same as workers in California and Utah, and below the national average of $1,400. At the same time, the average deductible for a single-person coverage plan in Idaho was roughly $1,900 and the overall deductible including family plans was just under $3,000. Those were near the nationwide averages for both deductible plans.
Authors of the report say the growth of deductibles means those insured with a high deductible face difficulties in accessing care. The report states people with high deductibles delay going to the doctor when sick or try to cut costs in other ways, like not filling prescriptions. (Post Register, Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
