Group Health Care Costs Up By 6.1%, Per Employee Cost Tops $10,000

In 2011, employer-sponsored group health plan costs increased by an average of 6.1%, from an average $9,562 per employee cost in 2010 to $10,146 in 2011. An additional increase of 5.7% is expected for 2012. The 2011 cost increases affected smaller employers (those with 10 to 499 employees) more than large employers (those with 500 or more employees), with group health benefits increasing by 9.9% for small employers, compared to an increase of 3.6% for large employers. These are findings of an analysis of the National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, an . . .