Dec 7, 2018 - Economy & Business

Health care eats up 12% of workers' income

Insurance premiums, combined with total deductibles, add up to 12% of workers' median incomes, according to a new analysis from the Commonwealth Fund.

The big picture: Overall costs have been rising steadily for years, and workers' share of those costs have been growing even faster.

Details: Unsurprisingly, health care coverage is especially expensive in the South and in rural areas, which often have less competition among providers and sicker populations.

  • Workers' annual premiums and deductibles together add up to more than $8,000 in 8 states: Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia.
  • State by state, premiums eat up the biggest share of the median income in Louisiana, at more than 10%. Premiums and deductibles together topped 15% of the average income in Louisiana and Mississippi.
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