Tennessee is among four states in the country where healthcare premiums grew eight times faster than earnings over the last six years. The more liberal leaning Families USA, a Washington D.C. based group, conducted a nationwide analysis of healthcare costs. Its study concluded that premiums are outpacing the rise in wages in Tennessee, South Carolina, Ohio and Michigan by the greatest margin.
Executive Director Ron Pollack, says that from 2000 to 2006, the average salary for a Tennessee resident rose by 12%, while healthcare premiums rose by 98.7%.
“Premiums rose for family coverage by $6,465, while earnings rose by $2,739. So this means health insurance premiums are taking a huge bite out of available income. If this troubling trend continues, the healthcare affordability crisis will get much worse and many more Tennesseans will become uninsured and underinsured.”
The study did not focus on factors that influenced the spike in premiums here. Pollack says healthcare should be a national priority for lawmakers. A Mason-Dixon poll released yesterday shows that voters listed healthcare as one of the top three issues they will consider when voting next month.
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