HI Premiums Increases Continue to Outpace Wage Increases

Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, and Maryland's rise was among the highest, at 50%, according to a report to be released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund. The report presents a state-by-state analysis for six years of premiums paid by employers and employees. The report "also found that deductibles rose sharply in almost all states, increasing an average of 77 percent from 2003 to 2009 in large as well as small firms