Family Health Premiums Reach $13,375 Annually in 2009, Up 5 Percent as Inflation Fell Nearly...(00 -- including 16 percent with deductib...),Health

Preferred Provider Organizations continue to dominate the employer market, enrolling six in 10 covered workers. Health Maintenance Organizations cover 20 percent of workers, with an additional 10 percent in Point-of-Service plans, and 8 percent in consumer-directed plans, which are high-deductible plans that also include a tax-preferred savings options such as a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA).

When asked about their plans for next year, 21 percent of offering firms say they are "very likely" to raise workers' premium contribution next year, and 16 percent say they are "very likely" to raise deductibles. Just 4 percent say they are "very likely" to restrict eligibility for coverage, and 2 percent say they are "very likely" to drop health coverage altogether.

"As in the past, we're seeing many businesses struggling with ways to curb their health care costs, including offering high-deductible plans for workers, though relatively few expect to drop health benefits altogether," said Kaiser Vice President Gary Claxton, lead author of the study and director of the Foundation's marketplace research.

Other findings from the survey include:

• Drug benefits. The vast majority of covered workers face a three- or four-tier system to determine their cost-sharing for drugs. For workers in such plans, the average copayments this year are $10 for first-tier drugs, $27 for second-tier drugs, and $46 for third-tier drugs. Copayments for fourth-tier drugs, which may include costly biological agents and lifestyle drugs, averaged $85.
• Office visits. Among covered workers with a copayment for in-network physician office visits, the average copayment is $20 for primary care and $28 for specialty physicians - up slightly from the 2008 av
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