Hagaon Hacham Mordechai Eliyahu z.s.l.

By: Dave Gordon

Employee health insurance costs are expected to rise next year in New York, and companies may be asking workers to shoulder more of the financial burden. According to a new PricewaterhouseCoopers report, most of the workforce is expected to have health insurance deductibles of $400 or more for the first time. Deductibles are the annual amount a patient pays out of pocket for care before insurance coverage starts, and are generally separate from co-payments. Two years ago, only 25 percent of companies said they asked employees to pay deductibles of $400 or more, and the percentage is expected to pass 50 percent next year. Employees who are asked to pay more help keep cost growth in check because they use less health care. Medical costs are expected to rise 9 percent next year.