While headlines might warn of an individual market laden with skyrocketing premiums and fewer options, this year employer-based health coverage extended a 5-year run of low cost increases.
The average total health benefit cost per employee in the U.S. rose 2.6 percent in 2017, according to the Mercer National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans.
Over the past five years, that growth has averaged just 3.3 percent annually.
In Virginia, Mercer’s survey reports, the total health benefit cost per employee increased 5.1 percent to an average of $12,126 per employee.
