December 21, 2004 |
2004-R-0949 | |
CONNECTICUT PRIVATE-SECTOR HEALTH CARE COSTS | ||
| ||
By: Janet L. Kaminski, Associate Legislative Attorney | ||
You asked how much Connecticut private employers spent on health care coverage for their employees in the aggregate in a recent year and how much the employees contributed toward the coverage.
SUMMARY
Connecticut private-sector employers and employees spent $ 5,290,253,673 on health care premiums in 2002, the most recent time period for which detailed state data is available. Employers contributed 80% of the total ($ 4,240,346,958). Employees contributed 20% ($ 1,049,906,715). This represents coverage for 890,924 enrolled employees.
Average 2004 U. S. employer premium contribution is 84. 9% for single coverage and 73. 3% for family coverage. The average 2004 northeast employer contribution is 83. 2% for single coverage and 77. 5% for family coverage.
PRIVATE SECTOR HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS
In 2002, there were 1,622,812 employees in Connecticut’s private sector, according to the Office of Health Care Access. Of those employees, 55% (890,924) were enrolled in health care plans offered by their employers. Average annual premium was (a) $ 3,373 for single coverage, (b) $ 6,895 for employee-plus-one coverage, and (c) $ 9,047 for family coverage. Table 1 shows average employee and employer contributions and total aggregate costs. Charts 1 and 2 present premium and contribution information.
Table 1: Connecticut Private-Sector Premiums and
Employee-Employer Contributions, by Coverage Type, 2002
Single |
Employee + One |
Family |
TOTAL | |
Employees Enrolled |
422,298 (47. 4%) |
173,730 (19. 5%) |
294,896 (33. 1%) |
890,924 (100%) |
Average Annual Premium |
$ 3,373 |
$ 6,895 |
$ 9,047 |
-- |
Average Employer Contribution |
$ 2,753 (81. 6%) |
$ 5,676 (82. 3%) |
$ 7,092 (78. 4%) |
-- |
Average Employee Contribution |
$ 620 (18. 4%) |
$ 1,220 (17. 7%) |
$ 1,954 (21. 6%) |
-- |
Total Employer Cost for all Enrollees |
$ 1,162,788,754 |
$ 986,015,826 |
$ 2,091,542,378 |
$ 4,240,346,958 (80. 1%) |
Total Employee Cost |
$ 261,702,216 |
$ 211,936,871 |
$ 576,267,627 |
$ 1,049,906,715 (19. 9%) |
TOTAL PREMIUMS |
$ 1,424,490,971 |
$ 1,197,952,697 |
$ 2,667,810,005 |
$ 5,290,253,673 (100%) |
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends, Published August 2004
U. S. PREMIUM DATA BY REGION
The 2004 Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust (Kaiser/HRET) Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits provides average premium data by U. S. geographic region. Chart 3 shows average annual premiums for covered workers. Charts 4 through 8 show the percent of employee and employer premium contributions by region.
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