Employer Health Care Costs Could Triple By 2010

Employers could see per-employee health care costs reach $10,946 by the end of the decade, up from $3,262 in 2002. If health care costs continue to grow at current rates, employer health benefits will constitute 16.5% of total compensation by 2010, according to a new study by the Employment Policy Foundation (EPF).

Looking at the previous year, the average total cost of health insurance for full-time year-round employees was $5,458 for family plans and $3,189 for individual plans annually with an overall average cost of $3,262. Employers paid approximately 77% of the cost of family plan and 67% of individual plan costs, on average. For a Fortune 500 company with 40,000 employees in 2002, the average employer cost of $3,262 translates into approximately $130 million.