Health Care Costs Outpace Income Growth for Working Families

A report by a private foundation released Apr. 29 revealed that rising family health insurance premiums have eaten into more than half of what little income gains working households have seen in recent years. Between 2001 and 2005, the cost of the portion of family health insurance premiums paid for by workers who get their insurance through their job has risen 30 percent, while their incomes on average have grown only 3 percent.