The cost of employer-provided health insurance has surged for a third straight year, with the annual cost of a family plan approaching $27,000, a new survey from the nonprofit KFF indicates.
That's the average one-year premium cost shared by one family and employer.
Zoom out: This year's 6% cost jump follows two years of 7% gains, meaning health costs are rising faster than the inflation rate. Economists warn that this trend is beginning to strain the economy, potentially limiting increases in employment and wages.
"If health care costs go up faster than the economy in general, that means there's less money left over to go to wages," Gary Claxton, a senior vice president at KFF, told The Wall Street Journal.
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