Posted on Wed, Sep. 24, 2008

Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose a modest 5 percent this year, according to a nationwide survey released Wednesday morning -- numbers that are close to what South Florida employers are reporting.

The annual health benefits survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that it cost $12,680 for family coverage this year. Employees paid $3,354 out of their paychecks to cover their share of the cost. What's more, many workers are now enrolled in high-deductible plans.

After years of double-digit increases, many local employers are now seeing much smaller changes in their healthcare expenses.

Ron Weintraub, who handles healthcare benefits for Broward County schools, reports the district's costs went up 3 percent in 2006, 4.1 percent in 2007 and 11 percent in 2008. This year's increase was caused by ''an inordinate number of large claims,'' which the system believes is an anomaly. For 2009, Vista Health Plan has proposed a 7 percent increase.

Weintraub attributes the lower rate increases to an aggressive wellness program -- getting employees to exercise more and eat right.

At the Miami Seaquarium, General Manager Andrew Hertz said he's not sure of the exact increase for 2008, but it has been manageable, within single digits. ``We've stayed with our insurer for the third year in a row, which is unusual for us.''

From his own paycheck, his share of the premium went up by only $20 a month. ``That's not much, considering what's happened to the price of gas.''

Kaiser reported that 18 percent of all workers now have deductibles of at least $1,000 in 2008 -- up from 12 percent last year.

In businesses with fewer than 200 workers, 35 percent now are paying at least $1,000 out of their own pockets -- up from 21 percent last year.

''With rising deductibles, more and more people face a substantial amount out of pocket for their healthcare before their insurance fully kicks in,'' Kaiser President Drew Altman said in a prepared statement. ``Health insurance is steadily becoming less comprehensive, and it's no wonder that in today's tough economic climate, many families count healthcare costs as one of their top pocketbook issues.''