NU Online News Service, April 30, 2004, 6:12 p.m. EDT – Health plan deductibles tend to be much higher at small employers than at large employers.[@@]
Researchers from the Health Research and Educational Trust, Washington, come to that conclusion in a new report published by The Commonwealth Fund, New York.
The researchers, Jon Gabel and Jeremy Pickreign, analyzed PPO plan data from other organizations and found that carriers are charging employers with 3 to 199 workers an average of $286 per month for single coverage and an average of $746 per month for family coverage.
The monthly premium charges are similar at employers with 200 or more workers. There, the average monthly cost is $280 for single workers and $761 for families.
Between 2002 and 2003, the average premium cost went up an average of 15.5% at the small employers. The average 13.2% cost increase at large employers was only slightly more bearable.
But the researchers found a huge difference in deductibles.
For in-network care, the average PPO deductible was $209 at large employers and $419 at large employers.
For out-of-network care, the average deductible was $458 at large employers and $783 at small employers.
