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RE: PREMIUMS VS. PAYCHECKS: Growing Burden for Wkers

Joy125 — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:46:32 GMT

Thanks Pat. I don't think folks realize the differences between states when it comes to the cost of health insurance premiums and wage increases.

In California:

" . . . from 2000 to 2007, health care premiums increased 95.8 percent for employer-based group coverage, from an average of $6,227 annually per worker to $12,194 annually.

While employers still paid the bulk of the premiums, during those years employees' share rose by more than 110 percent, from an average of $1,544 annually for family coverage in 2000, to $3,256 in 2007.

And in comparison with the spike in premium increases, median earnings for California workers increased by 19 percent, from $25,740 annually to $30,702."

The above is from a San Jose Mercury News article cuz my old computer can't view Family USA's pdf file. For link, see below.

So, in the last eight years, Californian workers have seen their premiums increase by 95.8% and wages increase by 19%.

From the WebMD article on Families USA report:

Michigan had the biggest gap. Health insurance premiums rose more than 17 times faster than workers' average earnings between 2000 and 2007.
Nevada had the narrowest gap. Overall, premiums rose 2.5 times as fast as wages.
Wyoming workers saw the biggest premium increase in the nation. Premiums rose nearly 130% over the eight years of the study.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10729045

http://www.webmd.com/news/20081023/health-insurance-costs-outpace-wages

RE: PREMIUMS VS. PAYCHECKS: Growing Burden for Wkers

pat59 — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 17:19:18 GMT

Good link, Joy!....checked my state, 73% premiums increase, in the last 8 years, and earnings rose 13.1%...I'm going to check other states later..thanks for providing this!:)

RE: PREMIUMS VS. PAYCHECKS: Growing Burden for Wkers

Grandpavan — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:12:18 GMT

The way I see it is that American lifestyle has increased faster than productivity for the last 20 years or so. This has led to increasing closure of domestic factories in favor of countries with lower wage scales. Jobs available in America have become increasingly less valuable so the relative pay for the remaining jobs is lower. Twenty years ago skilled labor demanded higher wages, and got them. This lead to the market for these jobs going overseas. The result is that Americans want continued increases in lifestyle but are no longer on average as productive. Jobs in the medical profession are still highly skilled so they continue to increase in value as inflation operates. The problem is excessive demands for wages lead to fewer available jobs. Somebody has to pay for the increased health care costs and this is usually at the expense of reduced lifestyle. The government only has what money it collects in taxes. If they tax the people who have lots of money excessively, they move to tax havens so they don't pay any taxes at all. In the final analysis the workers have to pay for the health care in one way or another. Lifestyle will suffer but that is necessary because of unreasonable expectations for a lifestyle. I think America became a great country as a land of opportunity but it is going down the tube as it becomes a land of handouts. God bless.

PREMIUMS VS. PAYCHECKS: Growing Burden for Wkers

Joy125 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:32:42 GMT

FROM FAMILIES USA REPORT

PREMIUMS VS. PAYCHECKS: A Growing Burden for Workers, September 2008

Throughout the first eight years of the new millennium, health care costs have skyrocketed, while working families’ wages have stood still. Other factors have also threatened families’ economic well-being, including rising gasoline prices and the downturn in the housing market, but the confluence of stagnant wages and rising health care costs has become a significant strain on family budgets. Numerous national studies have documented this damage.

As important as these studies are, they do not reflect the varying burdens experienced by families in different states. Just as labor markets, health systems, and economic circumstances vary from one state to another, the impact caused by rising health care costs and stagnant earnings differs considerably among the 50 states.

In 2006, Families USA undertook the first state-by-state analysis of growing health care premiums versus stagnant earnings in the new millennium. Since then, state economies have weakened, while health insurance premiums have continued their upward trend. Health care costs are now an even greater burden on American families. These reports, which are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services, examine what these trends mean for working families.

To see report for your state see:

http://www.familiesusa.org/resources/publications/reports/premiums-vs-paychecks-2008.html