The average cost for a family health insurance policy topped $10,000 for the first time this year, although premium costs rose at their slowest rate since 2000, a closely watched survey of employers released Wednesday shows. Conducted annually by the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation, the survey highlights a growing concern: Rising health care costs are pricing more consumers and employers out of coverage. The Kaiser survey found three out of five employers (60%) offered coverage, down from 69% five years earlier, with most losses in small companies. Among employers with 200 or more workers, 98% offer health coverage. The Kaiser study showed premiums paid by employers increased an average of 9.2% in 2005, less than the 11.2% rise in 2004, and the lowest since 2000, when they rose 8.2%. This year, the average annual premium for family coverage hit $10,880, with employers paying an average of 74% of that cost and workers paying the rest. Workers this year paid on average $2,713 toward family coverage, or $1,094 more than they paid five years ago, the survey found.
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