Impeding changes to our Health Care system

Originally Posted by classicman

I have insurance on my entire family, very good insurance relatively speaking, and it less than $6K a year GROSS. I contribute about 1/2 to that cost.

I find it very difficult to believe that the average cost is more than twice what I pay.

I can only rely on independent studies and not anecdotal examples;

The Commonwealth Fund
The rapid rise in health insurance premiums has severely strained U.S. families and employers in recent years. This analysis of federal data finds that if premiums for employer-sponsored insurance grow in each state at the projected national rate of increase, then the average premium for family coverage would rise from $12,298 (the 2008 average)to $23,842 by 2020...
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Cont...s-Incomes.aspx

Kaiser Family Foundation
Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose to $13,375 annually for family coverage this year—with employees on average paying $3,515 and employers paying $9,860, according to the benchmark 2009 Employer Health Benefits Survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust (HRET).
http://www.kff.org/insurance/ehbs091509nr.cfm

Of course, there are many variables that would lead to some families paying much less, including not only factors related to the level of coverage, but also external factors like location, cost of living, level of competition in the state, etc.

For example, in 1/4 of the states, a handful of insurance carriers control 90% of the business. It is a closed market with virtually no competition, thus little or no incentive to control premium costs.