That’s the direction your health insurance premiums have been going, at an ever-increasing rate.
A national report that was released today says family health insurance premiums in Texas increased 91.6 percent since 2000 — 4.6 times faster than earnings.
The report by the nonprofit consumer organization Families USA says the rise in health care premiums for workers went from $6,638 for the average Texas family to $12,721 a year, but folks often got less for their money rather than more, according to the report. At the same time, median earnings of Texas workers rose from $23,032 to $27,573, a 19.7 percent increase.
“Our conclusion is that rising health care costs threaten the financial well-being of families across the country,” said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA.
The report argues throughout for health care reform, and as Pollack said, if it doesn’t happen soon, more families will be priced out of the market.
If you don’t like those number, try these.
The Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest Employer Benefits Survey is out, and they’ve got some numbers worth remembering.
The average cost of a family health insurance policy in 2009 was $13,375.
Over the past ten years, premiums have increased by 131 percent, while wages have grown 38 percent and inflation has grown 28 percent.
If health-care costs grow as fast as they have over the past five years, the average premium for a family policy in 2019 will be $24,180. If they grow as fast as they have over the past 10 years, premiums in 2019 will average $30,803.
No one quite knows when, or how, the system will crumble. But make no mistake. At this rate of increase, it will, eventually, crumble. Want more numbers? They’re here.
But don’t worry, Rick Perry and his cohorts in the Republican Party will make sure that the status quo is maintained and that we’re all kept safe from the evils of health care reform. Statements from gubernatorial candidates Hank Gilbert and Tom Schieffer are beneath the fold.
Hank Gilbert (D-Whitehouse), Democratic candidate for Texas Governor, released the following statement Wednesday morning in response to the report released yesterday by Families USA, a bipartisan consumer watchdog, on health insurance premiums in Texas:
The announcement that health insurance premiums have risen in Texas by almost 100% since 2000 comes as no surprise to Texans who have been constantly burdened by persistently increasing premiums and ever declining coverage. Once again, Governor Perry’s policy of letting the industry regulate itself has failed Texans miserably.
Health insurance has become so expensive in Texas that more than 300,000 households the Census Bureau considers ‘high-income’ households can’t even afford to pay the premiums.
Of course, Texans are used to being failed by their Governor on a consistent basis. It’s why more than 60% of Texans voted for someone else in the 2006 election.
It’s sad that the insurance burden consistently falls on the poor and middle class in this state while they struggle every day just to get by—with no help from Governor Perry or his lobbyist appointees at the Texas Department of Insurance.
This is just one reason I will fight to make the Texas Insurance Commissioner an elected official accountable to the people when I am Governor.
STATEMENT FROM TOM SCHIEFFER
Governor Rick Perry’s failed leadership continues to take a heavy toll on Texas families. Their health insurance premiums have shot up an amazing 91.6 percent since 2000, the year Perry moved into the governor’s office, according to a new report by Families USA, a nonprofit consumer organization. That is almost five times faster than earnings have increased for Texans during the same period. The high cost is choking families who also pay the highest homeowners insurance rates in the country.
According to the new report, health care premiums for the average working Texas family have gone from $6,638 to $12,721 a year under Perry’s administration, while coverage has decreased for many policyholders. And, as the Census Bureau pointed out in a separate report only a few days ago, Texas continues to lead the nation in the percentage of residents without any health coverage. Six million people in Texas, including 1.2 million children, don’t have health insurance. Many simply can’t afford the ever-rising cost of premiums.
Affordable health care is essential to a quality life for every Texan and a strong future for the state’s economy. As governor, I will make health care a priority in Texas.