photo credit: stuartpilbrow

Recently the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust reported ["2008 Employer Health Benefits Survey", Kaiser Family Foundation] that health insurance premiums increased in cost more slowly this year compared to increases over the last ten years.

Is this good news, or just more bad news with a thin candy-coated shell? Unfortunately it’s tending more towards the latter case.

The Kaiser Family Foundation report (summarized here, at “U.S. Health Care Costs” ) indicated that the average premium went up by around five percent over 2008, contrary to recent trends in which health insurance costs have risen at a pace more rapid than that of both wages and inflation.

The flip is that even though the rate of premium hikes has slowed down a little, people are actually getting less coverage for their money.

(more…)