Forbes -- Growth in Health Ins. Premiums Slows

[intercst]

http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/09/14/hscout527948.html

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The rate of growth of health insurance premiums declined for the second year in a row, slowing to 9.2 percent in 2005.

But premiums are still significantly outpacing wages and inflation, according to the 2005 Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey, issued by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust.

Today, health insurance premiums for a family of four are just shy of $11,000 a year, or about equal to the full-time earnings of a minimum-wage worker.

"The 9.2 percent decline is lower than the last two years of rates of growth but it's still substantially above the other indicators in the economy such as growth and wages and inflation," said Gary Claxton, co-author of the survey and a vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington, D.C. "What we continue to see is that premiums are moving away from wages. It continues the questions we have about the affordability of coverage."

</snip>

I guess that's good news for those that benefited from Bush's "millionaire tax cuts"

intercst

 

[Martha]

Intercst, I remember you talking about your personal inflation rate for health insurance since you retired. Do you have any numbers/percentages that you can share?

 

[MasterBlaster]

<I guess that's good news for those that benefited from Bush's "millionaire tax cuts">

Here's some fuzzy thinking. Linking tax cuts to medical inflation rates.
Maybe you could explain that one.

By the way, Your tax cut in percentage terms was probably bigger than the millionaires that you quote.

 

[HFWR]

I'd imagine intercst IS a millionaire...

 

[intercst]

Intercst, I remember you talking about your personal inflation rate for health insurance since you retired.  Do you have any numbers/percentages that you can share?

My health insurance premiums have increased from $1,750/year in 1994 to about $6,000/year in 2005.

I have a comprehensive group policy that covers medical and dental through a professional engineering society.

intercst

 

[Nords]

My health insurance premiums have increased from $1,750/year in 1994 to about

That's almost a 12%/year increase over 11 years. Have your health sector stocks/funds kept pace over that same time?

 

[intercst]

That's almost a 12%/year increase over 11 years.  Have your health sector stocks/funds kept pace over that same time?

The health care stocks I hold have grown at an annualized 18% per annum since 1994. The dividends I collect from them today are more than twice my health insurance premium.

intercst