Healthcare Premiums Outpace Wages in TN

Tennessee workers have seen their health insurance costs rise five times faster than their paychecks.

There are now two reports that show healthcare premiums rising by double digits. Two weeks ago, the Kaiser Family Foundation said premiums for family coverage cost $12,000 dollars a year, and today, the liberal leaning consumer group Families U.S.A. issued similar findings.

Today’s report also contrasted the 61% increase in premiums over seven years with just a 12%increase in Tennessee’s median income. Families U.S.A. Executive Director Ron Pollack.

“Skyrocketing costs in Tennessee were a problem before current the economic downturn, and slow wage growth or job losses only make matters worse.”

Meanwhile, enrollment in Tenncare, the state’s health insurance program for the poor, has risen by 18,000 people so far this year.