Health Insurance Gurus Predict Higher 2009 Deductibles, Premiums, Less Coverage.

    The general ideas that Health Insurance Coverage Deductibles and Premiums are likely to continue to climb in 2009, while Health Insurance Coverage offerings are likely to shrink, are certainly accepted by most people.  The Kaiser Family Foundation puts some figures in those equations in its 2008 Survey of Employer Health Benefits.

    Among the numbers reported by the Kaiser Foundation:

• 63% of Employers offered Health Insurance in 2008, about the same number (60%) that offered it in 2007.
• The larger the Employer in terms of the number of Employees, the more likely it is that an Employer will offer Health Insurance Benefits:  49% of Employers with 3 to 9 Employees; 78% with 10 to 24 Employees, 90% with 25 to 49, and more than 95% of Employers employing 50 or more people.

    The numbers in this survey reflect that Employers will continue to offer Health Insurance Benefits in the year to come, but at the cost of larger Premiums borne by the worker:

• Respondents in the Kaiser survey of Employers supplied numbers that show a continuing increase in Health Insurance Premiums of 119% for "family coverage" since 1999.  Overall, the actual Premiums charged to Employers for "family coverage" are generally smaller for "small" Employers than for "large" ones.  However, on average, Employees working at "smalll" Employers (3-199 Employees)  also contribute much more money toward Premiums for "family coverage" but contribute lower Premiums for "single coverage"  than do workers for "large" Employers.
• "Cost sharing" is in the midst of a continuing steady increase.  These are costs paid by Employees in addition to Premiums when they actually use the offered Health Insurance.
• Some 80% of "single coverage" participating Employees contribute to the Employer's Health Insurance Premium, while 90% of family coverage participants so contribute.

     Finally, Employee contributions are expected to increase substantially in 2009.  The largest numbers of Employers answering the Kaiser Family Foundation Survey reported that they are "very or somewhat likely" to raise the contribution amount, to increase deductibles, to raise the amount of cost sharing, and to raise the amount that participating Employees pay for prescription drugs.  Very few Employers report, however, that they are "very likely or somewhat likely" to drop Health Insurance Benefits entirely.

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